Not Again revised
by Alexnandru Van Gordon
Summary: Includes SladeThere’s a major villain in Jump City that can ruin everything unless he’s stopped. The problem—Robin’s the only one who knows about him. After his hallucinations of Slade, his friends think he may be crazybut guess who goes to save him?
1. Robin's new problem revised

Not Again (revised)

Alexnandru Van Gordon

…You'll probably kill me. Actually, I _know_ you're going to kill me but this had to be done. Why? Because I started this story about three or four years ago and not only do I have something akin to amnesia when it comes to remembering how I was supposed to end this story but I also need to edit it. Badly. My writing was fairly poor back when I started and I just want to amp it up for ye ol' faithful readers. People such as **Chai-Tea** and **DLsky **have reminded me of the importance of minimal writing errors and I just wanted to make it up to you via editing the story. It shouldn't take long. After all, the story's practically written out already.

**Important:** On a side note, Blast to the Supposed Past will also be seeing renovations in the near future…Probably a new title as well. God grief, who comes up with a title like "Blast to the Supposed Past"? I think I must've watched _Blast to the Future_ when I came up with that. Jeez…

WARNING: **Spoilers** for 'Haunted' if you haven't seen it yet. But seeing as the TV-series had its last season a long time ago, you've probably watched it anyway. This is just an extra precaution…Oh—and the whole issue with Terra has blown over already. She's trapped in stone.

**SUMMARY:** There's a major villain in Jump City that can ruin everything unless he's stopped. The problem is: Robin's the only one that knows about him. After his hallucinations of Slade, his friends think he's a bit crazy and this leads to intense trouble when the last person he expected help from comes to save him.

DISCLAIMER: (wow, I missed this) Not mine. Sorry guys, I would've made another season or two if it was.

CHAPTER ONE: Robin's newest problem

_"Are you sure you're alright?"_

He felt a vein popping somewhere in his head, but he tried to keep a clear composure standing before the man that raised him. After all, image was everything.

"Positive." He responded in a clam and collective tone, one he picked from his surrogate father many years ago under his studious eye. He glanced briefly over his shoulder at his friends, all of which stood cowering in the doorway in horrid anticipation of what would happen to them once the call ended.

Batman leaned back into his seat ever-so-slightly, eyeing the group of teens from his view on the living-room screen. _"Fine, but if I hear anything of the sort again you can expect to find yourself on the next flight back to Gotham."_

Robin flinched internally. He loved Jump City—loved the time he spent with his friends and the justice he did to the young and thriving metropolis, but most of all…he loved the chance he had to lead. In Gotham he was just Bruce's son, his sidekick, his protégé…here he was free. Here he could fight until his heart's content—here he could be as selfish as Bruce was when he was bruised and beaten and wouldn't give up the fight.

…Sometimes Batman worried too much.

_"Is that understood, Robin?"_

"Loud and clear, sir…" Robin sighed, looking a bit wounded. He stood at attention until the screen flickered and turned black. Then his attitude changed for the worst…

"_How could you guys_!!!" He exclaimed in disbelief as he spun sharply on his heel, ready to sprint after the culprits. The doorway was empty now, his _supposed_ friends in hiding.

They had some nerve calling Batman over a petty thing like this. They _knew_ it was just the dust on Slade's mask that made him hallucinate, but even then they were convinced his stress levels were too high. So what if he was a little tense? It was his job to be apprehensive. They didn't have to contact his legal guardian about it—_especially_ if said legal guardian was as anal as Bruce.

He lucked out somehow this time. He half-expected to see the Bat-jet parked on top of their **T** and a ticked-off Bruce demanding that he packed his bags. This whole little ordeal could've been the end of his career as the Titans' leader.

"_Hey_!" He yelled. They were acting pretty hypocritical at the moment. Weren't they the ones that told him to treat them like a team, to let them in on his secret agenda so he wouldn't lose his head? Well, now they crossed the line. He had every right to lose his head.

Strapping him down to a stretcher was one thing—but calling _Batman_? That was a cruel and unusual punishment.

Storming down the hallway with murderous intent, Robin paused first at Raven's room. As he had expected, a black aura surrounded the door. No doubt the window as well. Of all the people he thought he could trust the most, it was Raven. Should something ever happen to him, he wanted to leave the title of leader to either her or Cyborg—and _Cyborg_, he knew, probably had his security system hooked up to the door. There'd be no getting into his room without some sort of adhesive and a pack of dynamite.

Sighing to himself, Robin almost missed the small fly that buzzed past his head—a _green_ fly, he noted. In Beast Boy's current form, any attempts of catching him could result in a sticky, squished insect. Killing a teammate wasn't the best way to impress Batman.

His left eye twitched as he fought the urge to shout again. This was a stupid way to spend his time. He thought he taught them better: face the enemy with both eyes open wide; never let them think they have power over you. This little game of hide and seek only proved his efforts were wasted…only proved that maybe he wasn't fit to be their leader after all.

The next room was his, a place he _knew_ no one was dumb enough to hide in. Then last—but not least—was Starfire's…but her door was left open. Wide open…

Upon stepping inside, he spotting her sitting on the edge of her bed with a purple teddy bear trapped in a Tameranian death-hug. Her back faced the door but he knew she was aware of his presence. She was merely waiting for his attack…

"Um…Starfire…"

"I did not know you had a father, Robin." She whimpered. "I am sorry if you got in trouble today because of what was said about you. I honestly did not know they set a message to such a _mean_ earth man…"

"He's not…he's not mean." He replied meekly, embarrassed that he assumed the worst of her. Quietly he sat down next to her and focused on his knees. "He's strict, and he worries about me. He taught me everything I know, and…we both lost our parents at a young age. We're family and it aggravates him when he not always there to help me."

"Then why did he let you leave his home? I was given the impression earth children remain with their parents until they are old enough to raise young of their own."

"He has faith in me." Robin smiled at the thought. Talking to Starfire was beginning to ease the tension in his head. "Besides—you're here, aren't you? I don't see you with any kids."

She frowned thoughtfully before finally shaking her head. "I am far too young to even consider mothering a child of my own flesh and blood. You are right, Robin, but I do not wish for you to leave us. Perhaps…perhaps you could _calm_ down and—as Cyborg says—_'take a load off things'_ for the time being. Maybe if you show them how well you are, they will find no reason to report you to the man that raised you. Yes?"

True…

"Done and done." He promised with the nod of his head. Sometimes the simplest advice was the _best_ advice to follow. "I think I'll go for a walk, Starfire. Tell the others I stepped out to _calm down_ and that I don't plan on yelling at them when I return."

"Yes, Robin." She beamed. "And please—do not stress yourself over petty thefts or robberies should you happen across them during your walk. Call us."

"I will." He patted her on the shoulder reassuringly twice before standing. Starfire was visibly relaxed after their little chat. "Thanks for clearing things up with me, Star."

"I believe there is an earth saying: _'that's what friends are for'_."

Indeed they were…

-?-

The rain came in great torrents, untamed by the wind and unaccompanied by the cold. It pounded mercilessly at the ground, flooding the streets and overflowing the drainpipes. It was an omen of things to come, wild things that could seep into every crack and cranny and root themselves there to fester and grow. Tonight was a night of change.

The sole figure of a man stood outside in the storm, trench-coat weighed down by the rain it soaked up. It was just about as heavy as he was, sodden to the core.

Tilting his wide-brimmed hat back to gaze up at the mansion, he took a moment to stop and appreciate the beauty of the colossal structure. It was a magnificent pristine-white building located on the outskirts of Jump City, a bustling new metropolis that was guarded by the ever-vigilant Teen Titans. The grounds were surrounded by a thick mass of tall pine trees that spread out into the forest, leaving minimal space for the highway leading between Jump City and the town of Norinsgrove.

He had to laugh. The storm began to die around him. He was a tall, thin fellow, a skeleton in Man's clothing. Beneath the hat and coat stood a mass of scarred flash and hospital gauze, wrapped up nice and tidy like a mummy, heavily scented by ointment and salve and carrying with it the earthy aroma of death. Dark, calculative blue eyes scanned the forest before he pushed open one of the entrance gates and entered the property.

The house, despite its beauty, was too large a dwelling for him to enjoy. It was empty. It was emptier still with only one inhabitant. He felt his reserve buckle at the memory of a stunning woman that died due to his mistakes, and a nine-year-old boy claimed by cancer so many years ago. He never expected to find himself alone in the world.

Laughter dying with the rain, he strode up the mansion road, pulling out a set of keys from his wet coat pocket. Everything had been moved inside days ago and all it needed now was a person. Maybe _two_ persons…maybe he didn't deserve to be alone…

-R-

He didn't expect it to rain, but his luck wasn't exactly bright and shining that day. The storm started on the outskirts of town and slowly migrated south to the city, dying down a short while after it started. It was a freak gale and the ground was thoroughly soaked, but at least he managed to stay dry.

Stepping out from under the cover of a bus-shelter, he crossed the street and ran into the park. He usually found a mugger or two looking for trouble within the haven of the trees but he honestly doubted they'd find anyone to rob after the storm. On the other hand, it never hurt to check the place out…

Robin slowed to a walk once he was safe from view within the mass of trees and bushes. He weaved his way through the greens and the benches to the main dirt path. Relieved that no one appeared to be out, he decided to enjoy his time off for once and continued down the path at a medium stroll.

He continued his journey for another three hours until he began to yawn. It seemed that no one wanted to be out in the wet right after the rain. His boots were nearly soaked through.

Satisfied with the lack of crime, he deemed the park safe for another night and determined it was time to head home.

Just as he was about to turn down the path, whistling caught his attention. Decidedly smug whistling—a tune he didn't recognize. Said whistler broke out into laughter suddenly before continuing the song, moving closer to Robin's position. His team might claim that he was paranoid when it came to criminals, but the insane laughter was getting on his nerves and it reminded him strangely of the joker.

Suppressing yet another yawn, he slid into the shadows. He wanted to go home soon, but a part of him wanted to see the man behind the whistle—if only to make sure he was an over-happy gentleman and not a maniac on the loose.

Suddenly, he was very glad he stayed behind.

Rounding the bend behind a thick pack of trees, a suspicious man strode out into view. And Robin wasn't just _saying_ suspicious—he meant it. The fellow wore a soaking wet trench coat and wide-brimmed hat that were both pale from wear and somewhat dusty. The man eventually reached up and unbuttoned the top of his coat, revealing a body covered in bandages and splotches of blood. Even his face was covered in gauze, giving Robin the impression that the man was infected with leprosy or some other contagious skin disease.

Affected by the heat of the night, the man lifted his wide-brimmed hat and ran his hand through a crop of dark brown hair, bringing his hand back down immediately to inspect it. There was blood on his fingers, and he '_tut_-ed' in disappointment before he replaced his hat and continued to whistle.

Robin couldn't decide if the man was a criminal or not. The tall, skinny fellow was creepy in his book, but he looked more like a crazy from the asylum or a delusional patient from the hospital. Either way, the teen vigilante had to catch him.

Robin reached behind his back and pulled his bo-staff out from one of his belt compartments, extending both ends in preparation of battle. He didn't plan on hitting the man with his staff. He just wanted to scare him into submission so he could transport him peacefully to the hospital.

Stepping out calmly from his hiding place in the shadows, Robin stopped in the center of the path and turned to face the mysterious man. The gentleman paused suddenly, leaving ten feet between himself and the Titans' leader, more than enough space for Robin to flip and cut the man off if he tried to bolt in the other direction.

The whistling stopped abruptly and the man blinked in disbelief.

"Aha!" He laughed suddenly. "I guess I'm not the only one out here that loves the rain. Isn't it just _wonderful_?"

It was official then. This guy was nuts.

"The rain ended three hours ago." Robin clarified for the confused man. "What brings you to the park? I don't recall any mummies reported missing from the museum."

The man laughed again, obviously amused with Robin's intentionally corny humor. "A funny bone, _eh_? Let's save the laughter for _after_ the fight, Zipper."

Robin frowned. Fighting, huh?

"_Ch_." He muttered to himself before lunging at the man. If he knocked the fellow out, it'd be easier to take him back to the hospital.

Staff held high above his head, he brought it down in a vicious vertical swing and waited for the jolt of his arms when the staff would connect with either the man's head or his shoulder. It all depended on the man's reaction to the attack.

"Fierce, I see." The man said as he stepped aside casually a second before Robin's staff _should've_ hit him. At the precious moment he dodged the attack, he held out his right arm and caught the Boy Wonder around the waist before he could complete his landing. Stepping up quickly behind the boy, he pinned Robin to his chest.

"_Uh!_" Robin choked in surprise as the man wrapped his other arm around the boy's throat. The tall man leaned back, stretching Robin's body as his feet lifted off the floor.

Without really thinking about it, Robin jerked the end of his bo-staff up into the man's face and was rewarded with a sharp cry. The man released him instantly and stumbled back.

Then he began to laugh.

Robin spun around, bo-staff ready. What was so funny?"

The man held a hand over his left eye, the one Robin caught with his staff, before pointing a finger at Robin in recognition. "Well I'll be damned! I know _you_…You're Robin, Slade's kid—right?"

The Boy Wonder was caught speechless for a moment, both surprised and insulted by the comment. He didn't know whether he was cold from the chills running along his spin at the sound of the man's name or hot from the adrenaline pumping in his veins. He didn't know where this guy got his information, but he most certainly was _not_ 'Slade's kid'.

"One—I'm not _his_ kid, and two—Slade's _dead_."

The man continued to laugh and Robin felt his cheeks burning. Who on earth was this guy? Second to Slade, this guy ranked high on Robin's clinically insane list. He acted like a grade A lunatic.

He was worried when the man's laughter died down, ending with a small sound that reminded Robin of a quiet sob. The man locked eyes with his young adversary, blue orbs flickering to life. Robin found himself mesmerized with the light behind those eyes, unable to look away. There was something about them…something that made him feel as though the man was staring directly into his mind…his thoughts and memories suddenly privy to a complete stranger.

"But do you actually _believe_ he's dead?"

The question lingered in the air. Of course Slade was dead…wasn't he? He had to be. People didn't fall into a pit of boiling lava and live to tell the tale—and Slade, no matter how slippery or cunning he was in the time Robin knew him, wasn't an exception. The ordeal with the dust proved nothing of Slade's possible existence. He fell to his death months ago…or had he somehow escaped the reaper? Had he left the Titans to believe he was dead by discarding his mask in the lava? After all, that was all they'd seen in the fiery liquid before they fled from the collapsing fortress.

The man straightened his coat and cracked his neck, clearing his throat in the process. "Well…I guess the answer to that is quite obvious. Neither of us believes he's dead—and one of us _knows_ he's not dead. Is it you or me, Zipper? Do you want to know…?"

Robin scowled and backed away from the man. "What do you know about Slade—_where is he_?!"

"You've proven me wrong, Zipper…I guess that means _two_ of us lonesome creatures knows he's alive. How's that for Angst?"

"Just answer me!" Robin snapped. "And quite calling me _Zipper_—do I look like a cadet to you?" (**1**)

The man eyed his costume. "…Guess not when you put those colours into perspective—but your attitude suggests otherwise. Ever considered joining the army, Zipper?"

"Give me a break already." Robin was getting tired of this. He just wanted to return home and rest, but not before he took this lunatic down. He knew his was going to be cranky in the morning despite the outcome of this battle—he just had to careful around his friends. One false step and Batman would drag him back to Gotham so fast his head would spin.

"Scared of something, Zipper?" The man asked, obviously prying some more information out of his head. How he did it was beyond Robin's understanding. Maybe he possessed powers similar to that of Raven's?

"Yeah. I'm afraid I'm going to have to take you to the slammer tonight. But look on the bright side; you'll meet a lot of other nut-jobs just like you. You'll find somewhere you'll belong."

"Oh!" The man appeared to be amused in some odd way, clearly enjoyed the snappy comebacks from his opponent. "And am _I_ the only one that doesn't belong in this society? I can't be certain, but it looks as though the white knight doesn't exactly have a clean slate either. Do I taste a hint of distrust? Trouble with your friends—or are they _really_ your friends, Zipper?"

"_Quit_ calling me that…"

"Well, well, well." The man said, probably grinning behind the mask of bandages. "Besides your lack of respect for elders, I'd say you're one of the few people I could ever get along with—and that's saying something. I've killed most of the other people I've ever known…save for Slade. But I guess that makes sense, seeing that you're his kid, Zipper. You're alone in this world, and so am I."

"_Shut up_!"

He didn't stop to think about his actions. Robin dashed forward, staff ready to strike the man down. He got close enough to actually swing—but the creep was faster than he anticipated and leapt straight up into the air. Robin skidded to a halt and waited to catch the man on his descent but was shocked to find the man higher in the air than he assumed humanly possible. When he saw the foot aimed at his face, Robin shifted into an uneasy back flip, having to plant both hands on the ground for better support as his world turned upside-down. A bit off balance, he ended up executing the flip as a cartwheel.

The man landed and his foot punctured the ground, kicking up dirt into the air. He didn't scream or make any sign that he was in pain. Sighing, he pulled his foot free of the earth with one good tug and fixed his eyes on Robin. "You're one in a million, kid. Actually, you're the only teen hero I've encountered that gets the job done without powers. You're the _leader_ of a team of super-powered teenagers, right?

"So what?" Robin snapped. Flattery wasn't going to help this guy.

"So _what_?" The man chuckled in disbelief. "I like you, kid. A lot. So don't go fooling yourself will all that good vs. evil nonsense they teach you in school—it's all a lie. But I'll tell you something: if you're ever feeling as lonely as I am, you've got somewhere to go. Think of us as kindred spirits."

Now Robin was confused. "What do you mean?"

The man began to levitate, no doubt the trick behind the high jump he did earlier. Then his figure began to fade. Robin wondered briefly if he'd been fighting a ghost all along, but ghosts didn't leave dents in the ground. "I _mean_…I'm new here, and I'm looking to adopt."

For the second time that night, Robin was caught speechless. "_Excuse_ me? Sorry, but I'm not up adoption."

"Ah, but your parents are dead."

"I was adopted after that. I _already_ have a father."

The man shrugged as though that meant nothing to him—which it probably didn't. "I told you, I kill just about everyone I stumble across. What makes you think your current guardian wouldn't hesitate to disown you while staring down the barrel of a gun?"

"You'd have one heck of a time getting him to do anything against his will." Robin grinned, thinking about Batman. "Besides, I'm not even living with him right now. I don't need another parent."

The man had almost entirely faded. "We'll see, Boy Wonder. Until next time, Zipper!"

And then he was gone.

---

Robin returned back to the tower sometime after five a.m.—and he wasn't welcomed with smiling faces. He tiptoed in the darkness and almost made it past the doorway to the main-room when all the lights in the hall and living-room flickered to life. Everyone—including a melancholy Starfire—sat in the kitchen area with their eyes on Robin.

Cyborg raised his only real eyebrow. "What kept you?"

_'Give me a break here!'_ He exclaimed in the back of his mind. _'What did I do to deserve this?'_

"Got into a fight?" Beast Boy inquired with the same suspicious look as Cyborg…except it was funnier, being Beast Boy and all.

Robin frowned. "What makes you think that?"

Beast Boy rolled his eyes and threw his arms up into the air "Dude! It's five in the morning, your hair is all messed up and you're holding your bo-staff! The real question is: what _wouldn't_ make us think that?"

"I went out for a walk—you can even ask Starfire." He defended weakly, retracting his bo-staff. He used it as a mock-cane on the way home, a bit disgruntled with his confrontation and even more than just a 'bit' tired. "I ran into a little trouble."

"Then why didn't you call us, man?" Cyborg said with a sigh, his robotic eye dimmer than usual. No one had really rested that night.

"It was just some drunk lunatic." He lied. When he put his mind to it, Batman was probably the only man alive who could see through the lies he fabricated. "I had to take him to the authorities. Aside from that, I took a walk in the park. No one was out. It was wet."

"Just a walk?" Raven asked incredulously. "How long does it take you to deliver a drunk to the police station?"

"I was gentle this time."

This wasn't working.

"…Goodnight." He muttered, heading back down the hall before anyone could open their mouth. He knew they would attack him again in the morning but for now all he wanted was some sleep.

…Maybe he _should_ return to Gotham? He spent so much of his time and energy obsessing over Slade, and now that the man was dead another crazy popped up to take his place. Even if he didn't permanently leave Jump City, it would give him time to relax.

"Why me?" He murmured as he entered his room. A trip to Gotham was sounding quite inviting at the moment…

-A-

Yay! I did it! I edited a chapter. I changed some paragraphs completely, but I tried to keep it close to what I wrote before. Tonight I only had time to revise this chapter—you'll be able to tell which chapters I edit when I put "(revised)" in the title. If you're reading a chapter and the word isn't there at the top of the page, then I haven't gotten to it yet.

Don't worry about leaving a review. I don't expect any for revising a story. By the way…the end is near…and I mean, the _end chapter_ of Not Again…

_-Until Again,_

_-Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	2. Chapter two: No

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Ah! I forgot about this one, and right after I finished saying I wouldn't. Sorry, I'm going to go to hell when I die—that solves it. No. I don't even know where I'm going when I die—won't know until I'm dying. LOL.

Enough of my nonsense.

I started the first chapter with Batman fathering Robin again (Robin: annoying…irritating…(_muttering to himself_)). If you noticed in my other, much worked on, stories, I hooked onto this idea. I'm sorry, but the tightest _possible _bond between two people is the relationship of parent and child. I.E. if your mother saw you fall and hurt yourself, they get this thing that clicks in their head. You are literally a part of your mother—seriously—and that's why that bond is so strong, even with fathers. I'm sorry if this annoys you, but it is _one_ of my themes for this story. There are a couple, but you've already seen the opposite of the benefit of the doubt, so the others will reveal themselves in due time.

DISCLAIMER: Do I own them? Didn't the last time I checked…

CHAPTER TWO: No…

"_Stupid…arrogant…adoption—ha_!"

He buried his face in his pillow, but not before glancing at the clock—twelve, noon. This had been the longest time he _ever_ slept in—_if_ he actually slept at all. Quite a rare occasion indeed. He couldn't get that man out of his head, but somehow he managed to sleep well. The instant he laid on his bed he was out like a light. What had woken him was the annoying ache in his stomach for food. When had been the last time he ate anyway?

Then another image of that crazy lunatic came to mind again and he lost his appetite. That wasn't a very good habit, and soon someone would comment on his thinness. He had always been thin, but he was sure someone would notice sooner or later.

Unable to fall asleep again, he got up and had the coldest shower possible without getting frostbite. That woke him up and made him feel so refreshed, the aches in his body seeming to fade away until he turned off the tap, dried off, dressed, and spiked his hair again. The moment he returned to his duty as Robin, the chance to relax ended. The muscles in his upper back and shoulders were already tensed up. He probably had a thousands knots in his back from stress alone.

Well, he had to face them sooner or later.

When his door opened, he popped his head out into the hall. Nothing…everything was silent. Starfire wasn't yaking her head off, Raven wasn't chanting, and the guys weren't arguing over some video game. To think of it, since last when did he sit down and talk to someone or play a game? Seemed like eons ago…

He sighed heavily, heart weary. He should have probably told them the truth last night instead of trying to cover. What if he did go back to Gotham. He could relax for a while and recuperate to come back new and improved for the team. He could also talk to Bruce—his father. He missed his own parents, but he wouldn't trade Bruce as his father for anyone in the world.

"Hello?" He called, walking down the hall. "Anyone want to talk?"

He turned into the main room—to find it empty. There was, however, a letter on the kitchen counter, obviously written by Starfire. There hadn't been an emergency while he slept, had there? No, he would have heard the alarms anyway. They were far too loud to drown out.

Picking up the letter, he moved to see it better and read:

_Dear friend Robin,_

_Do not fear that we have left you for good. I and the others forgive you, though we know you did not voice an apology for last night's…problem, and we did not wish to wake you since it is not often you sleep at all. There is a team of specialists in town that are led by a man who goes by the name of Dr. J. Manning, a brilliant scientist who is working on researching brain cancer. He is also said to have invented machines and chemicals that affect the brain, though I do not know exactly what they do…We left to see his presentation at the Wayne Enterprise building down town (yes, the one where we knocked down half the letters…). It begins at 11:30 and ends at five. You can stay home and rest, or you can come to join us. Either way, I look forward to seeing you soon._

_Smiling—Starfire_

_PS. The others greet you as well, and Cyborg…says you need to eat something before you come. You do not look too well._

That was sweet of her, and he was glad he was forgiven. At least they understood he was the hard type of guy who had problems with gutting himself to come up front with an apology. Maybe his day wasn't going to be so bad after all.

-St-

She touched the little DNA display—and her finger was caught by Beast Boy.

"Trust me when I say—anything you touch will break upon impact." He grinned, releasing her hand. "I've made the same mistake too many times before."

"Thank you, friend Beast Boy, and…" She paused, looking down at her feet. "Do you think Robin will come?"

"Maybe—" He shrugged. "Maybe not. He looked really sick last night. I wonder if he really ran into a drunk—or if he ran into a metal bar. I swear he kinda looked devastated."

Devastated…she had noted that too. Old memories brought up, perhaps? Robin told her nothing about his past and she suspected he never would. However, there once the question of what his mother thought of his profession was brought up once and he came very…_sensitive_ about the matter. That was the first time she learned that both his birth-giving parents were dead. He had been adopted since he was seven and a half, fighting crime since he was eight. Batman was his new father, but that was just about as much as she knew about him. All else was a mystery. No one even knew how his parents died.

Murder?

"There he is." Beast Boy whispered, pointing across the room to a healthy, middle-aged man who stood talking to Cyborg and Raven.

Healthy indeed. What else would expect a man to be who studied for the improvement of the human body. He had short black hair and warm blue eyes, tall and thin. His smile was kind and his small spectacles kept slipping down the bridge of his nose in an annoying, but funny way. Starfire felt that she was liking the man already.

"Dr. J. Manning." Beast Boy whistled. "He moves around a lot and he won't be here for long. He had trouble in the last city he was in. Some weird guy was trying to steal the inventions of him and his team, and I guess that's why Mr. Wayne is providing him with as much security as he most possibly can get wherever he goes. Nice man, Bruce Wayne. Heard he has an adopted son…"

"Bruce Wayne is the man who specializes in weapon technology, correct?" She asked. "Was he not the one Robin was sent to steal from by Slade?"

Beast Boy nodded, staring at another display after the woman in front of him moved. "He has quiet the gadgets."

"Maybe we should meet with him once. I think Cyborg mentioned something about modeling his security system after one of Mr. Wayne's."

"Maybe—maybe not. Mr. Wayne is a busy man, I hear. Him and his son are always busy."

"How old is his son?"

"I don't know…Robin's age?"

Starfire sighed. Then she noticed that Mr. manning was leaving with some of his fellow scientists. Raven and Cyborg were headed in her direction, probably talking over what they learned from the man.

"We should head back." Cyborg suggested, crossing his arms. "Better check on Robin."

"But what if he comes here when we leave?" Starfire asked. She really wanted to talk to him…

"We'll call him if he isn't home."

She gazed around. He should have been there by now if he was going to come anyway. Unless he slept in…scratch that. Robin didn't sleep in. It wasn't in his nature to rest no matter how banged up his body was.

Shrugging, she followed the others through the crowds of people and made there way toward the door.

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

They all paused and stared at their communicators. Red light flashing, annoying beep—something was wrong in Jump City.

Cyborg stared at his robotic arm and pressed a button or two. "Trouble at the bank. Mumbo somehow got loose again."

"Only on a Sunday…" Beast Boy muttered and they were off.

-

This was just too easy. There they were, racing toward one of the banks on the other side of town—only to find that there wasn't going to be anything wrong. Their communicators were so easy to manipulate, it was a sin to say that intelligent little cybernetic teenager invented them. The kid would probably slap himself for it later.

He shook his head, standing on top of the Wayne Enterprises building, currently under repair thanks to the Teen Titans. But it was Sunday and less workers came—all of which would show up of the missing list tomorrow. They didn't put up much of a fight either. It maybe took him five minutes to take them all down.

He laughed. They would have one hell of a time looking for the bodies.

Waiting until the four Titans were out of his view, he reached into on of his trench coat pockets and pulled out a small round sphere which was black and the size of a large marble. He walked toward the edge of the roof and threw it over his shoulder. It collided with one of the large white letters and an explosion was set off, causing part of the roof to cave in.

'_One—the loopholes are gone. Two—the trap is set. Now, let's see if the bait is taken.'_

Turning around, he walked casually toward the large hole, staring down into the atrium of the building. People were running and screaming like crazy, displays destroyed, people injured, but no casualties—yet, anyway. It really all depended on how bored he got.

Jumping, he landed perfectly on a large chunk of the roof, hands in his pockets. He cracked his neck and gazed around the room, glowing red eyes staring into the souls of everyone—but he could only get the just of what they felt and were thinking. He needed to have a hand on either side of their heart to see and feel it all.

(Alex_: I'll explain that little trick later. Just bear with me for now._)

Taking his right hand from his pocket, he flipped back the ride side of trench coat back to reveal a holster and its gun attached to his slack belt. Taking his time, he drew the gun and aimed it upward. Taking a shot, he grinned as everyone screamed and tried to get as far away from him as possible.

Some people made for the door, but he could see them just as well as he had eyes on the back of his head. He spun around and waved his free hand at the doors—and they shut automatically. Anyone who was inside was stuck inside, and that was great for him. Hundreds and hundreds of people.

"Don't move!" He shouted and they went somewhat silent, a few children heard crying. "If any of you haven't guessed by now, this is a hostage situation."

Then he reached with his free hand into his pocket and pulled out a small device, the one he used on the Titans' communicators. Fiddling with it, he finally pushed a button and grinned behind his mask of bandage wrapping.

Oh, what fun he would have today.

-R-

He was already on his way to the presentation when his communicator beeped. There was something wrong there, but weren't the others already there?

He pushed the button to speak face to face with one of them, but all he got was a static screen. He pressed it again to get someone else, but the same thing happened. So, slightly worried and frustrated, he pushed another button to show where they were on the map of Jump City—

What were they doing on the other side of town? They were moving as fast as they could _away_ from where they needed to be. But what if they got another call? No. he would have received the call too and his communicator had remained silent until just now. Either his was broken or theirs was. They'd have to discuss it when they returned to the tower.

Speeding up, he rounded the corner and there was Wayne Enterprises—and a semi-large crowd gathered outside, many people running down the streets away from the place. There were people still inside, trying their best to break down the glass of the doors. It wasn't working when it should have.

Well, at least it wasn't his communicator that was broken.

"Move!" he shouted and they obeyed without question. His motorcycle skidded to a halt and he took off his helmet, running up the stairs to the doors. He waved his hand toward the people inside, motioning form them to move back.

Many of them looked confused, but when he pulled out an explosive birdarang…

With the hostages at a safe distance away from the door, he pulled out two more of his explosives and held them between the fingers of his left hand. With one throw, they came into contact with the doors at different places and exploded.

He coughed, waiting for the smoke to settle and—it didn't work. There wasn't even a scratch on the glass. The people on the inside were just as surprised as he was and he pointed upward to show them he would find another way inside.

Pulling out his grappling hook (thingy…) he shot it at the roof and held down on the button. He was suddenly airborne, speeding toward the roof at a thrilling pace. Just before he reached the top, he swung up and did a back flip onto the roof, pressing the release button on his grappling hook. Suddenly up there, he noticed the gigantic hole.

There was a gunshot—and a familiar voice from inside.

"_Who wants to die first!"_

There was a shriek from the crowd and a shrilling scream from a young girl. Acting upon instinct, he jumped down through the hole into the atrium and landed gracefully—behind that strange man.

The man had his arm around the young girl's neck, his gun aimed at her temple. "On the count of three, sweetie. One…two…thr—"

The man fell forward as Robin's foot came into contact with his back, releasing the girl in the process. She scrambled away instantly toward her mother and gave Robin a quick thankful glance. He was lucky to get there when he did.

The man laughed…and turned over onto his back, propped up on his elbows to stare at Robin. "Hello again. I was upset I didn't have the time to say a proper goodbye the other day. I hope I didn't get you into trouble for missing your curfew?..."

Robin muttered a curse beneath his breath. That lunatic was somehow reading his mind again.

"Uh uh uh—shouldn't be cursing, young man. Didn't daddy ever tell you that?"

"Shut up!" He barked. He was wholly annoyed and had only spent a maximum of about five minutes so far with the guy. "I never did catch your name."

"I didn't throw it." The man laughed, standing and brushing off the dust from his coat. There was a mess everywhere from the cave-in. "But forgive me for forgetting—Jaze (_Alex: as in daze_). Though, I was called Scarecrow in many of the other cities I've been to. However, it seems another villain has already called that name."

"Enough of the formalities." Robin frowned, pulling out his Bo-staff and giving it a twirl before holding it in the ready position. "I'm taking you down."

Those red eyes widened in mock surprise. "Me? I think I'm not the only one you'll have to worry about. Go ahead! Hit me."

As you wish.

Robin dashed forward, ready to strike—and suddenly a civilian jumped in his way. He stumbled into that person and they both crashed to the floor. The rest of the crowd was confused, someone shouting at the man who got in Robin's way. What was this dude thinking?

Robin, lying on top, shook the stars from his vision and stared at the man in disbelief. His eyes…there was no pupil. There was his blue iris—but there was no dark hole in the center to explain if he could see. He looked like a blind man.

The eyes flashed red and the man sat up just as Robin did. Then he wrapped his arms around the young hero who sat on his lap in a vice-like grip and continued to squeeze with an inhuman strength.

"Can't kill him—now can you?" Jaze laughed, hands on his hips, still holding the gun. "Either you do, or I will…"

And the gun was raised.

"No—" Robin choked, many of the people beginning to panic again. But he was quick, he rammed his forehead into the guy's nose—and evidently pain could still register in his brain. The man released him at once and Robin stood, taking a few steps away in worry that the man would grab him again and Jaze would shoot him.

Jaze continued to cackle, lowering his gun. "You are a mystery, Boy Wonder. Why waste your time on them! You have the ability to become above the law and stay that way—but you go and _defend it_? Please tell me that's not something you picked up from your parents."

Robin held back the swear he wanted to spit at the man. There were still hostages in the room.

He shouldn't have thought that.

"I almost forgot myself, Zipper." Jaze said, gazing around the room at all the innocent people. "We can't leave them out of the fun. That would be rude—"

Speaking of which, his communicator beeped. He answered immediately hoping to heaven above that his friends were somewhere nearby.

"_Robin, where are you?"_ Starfire asked from the other end of the line._ "There was a false report at one of the banks and—"_

"Get over here now!" He said, worried that he wouldn't be able to save everyone. "There's a hostage situation back at the presentation!"

"_Who is the culprit?"_

"A man named Jaze—trench coat, wrapped up like a mummy, and glowing red eyes."

She gave him a weird look. _"Robin—"_

Static.

"Starfire?..."

"How terribly rude." Jaze said plainly. In his hand he held a small black device, one finger pressing down on a button. "Interrupting a conversation and ignoring the other person—I think you need to be taught some manners."

The room fell quiet…Robin stared at everyone, all eyes glowing a soft red. They were under Jaze's control—but where did he get his powers from? Robin had seen some interesting tricks, but this psychic thing…it was so odd. Why was he using it on Robin?

"Because I can't." Jaze replied, telekinetically reading his mind _again_. "That's why I can relate you so well to Slade. I couldn't control his mind either, just gaze into a few of his thoughts…though…I have the ability to go further…"

Robin began to wonder how he knew Slade at all. Enemies? Friends? Perhaps at one time partners. He would have to dig deeper into that later on.

"I'll be the only one prying." Jaze said, his voice serious and curious. Those glowing red eyes seemed to dull the rest of Robin's senses, but he couldn't give into him.

The dulling of the sense did, however, allowing the unnoticed civilian to come up from behind Robin and hit him on the back of the head. Already dizzy from Jaze's eyes, Robin fell to the ground…vision fading…

-J-

The young hero, who had fallen unconscious approximately five minutes ago, slowly came to. With the help of the hypnotized civilians, Robin was bound and gagged in the center of the a cleared spaced on the floor of the atrium. He lay on his back, stretch like a T, ankles and knees tied together by Jaze's odd bandage wrapping, summoned by will. His arms were stretched out to either side by the wrapping as well. Tied around his wrists and ankles, each of the three lines of wrapping lead off into the darkness of the room—attached to nothing but the darkness Jaze created with his mind. The civilians lingered in the shadows, eyes glowing, and time of the outside world seemed to slow…slow so that the other Titans would arrive too late.

Gagged, Robin could say nothing as the two white slits for eyes spread apart so he could see. Jaze admired the mask. It was very unique. The boy himself reminded him of his lost son. Though only one, his son had been born with his father's mental powers and learned how to speak and act rapidly. He had a fiery soul and a determined spirit, intelligent and brave. Besides that, the spiky black hair and too paled skin also reminded him of his son. He suspected that his son, if had been fated to live to this day, would have grown to be like Robin…but not as a hero…

Struggling, Robin could move only to the minimum. His body stretched and limbs tied tightly, he couldn't hope at all the escape. Not unless someone else came, but that wasn't going to happen.

Jaze could hear the boy's heart race. He closed his eyes, trying to pry inside…He wanted to know everything about this boy, to see if he was both fit and worthy to be _his son_.

No use. It was impressive that the boy could block him so well, probably used to blocking out everyone all the time. But Jaze needed to get inside, and he knew how.

-R-

He pulled again, muscles straining…then relaxed to take a break. There was no use. What were his bindings tied to and how could he get free of them? He had to leave—an he had to save all those people.

Where were the others!

From the darkness came the man, red eyes revealing him before he stepped into the dim light that surrounded Robin. And where exactly was that light coming from? There was no lamp on…and why was it so dark? Had he been unconscious that long?

"So many questions…" The man whispered, and Robin shivered mentally from the chills running along his spin. "None of them will be answered—nor do they _need_ to be answered. I, on the other hand, need answers. Please excuse my intrusion."

"_No!"_ Robin shouted, his speech muffled by the gag. _"Let me go!"_

The man chose not to hear him and walked to Robin's side, kneeling beside him. He waved a hand slowly above his chest and Robin found his breath regulating, chest rising and falling as the man moved his hand. His heart, however, continued to race. How was the man doing that? How could he control someone like that?

"My questions first, Robin." The man said, his voice barely audible. He placed a hand on Robin's upper chest, dead center on his sternum above where part of his heart was located. Then he pushed down gently and Robin's eyes widened, memories flooding his mind.

_They're dead—_

_Let go—_

_I could be like a father to you—_

_I already have a father—_

_Mom…dad…—_

_HELP—_

_Watch out—_

_I'm coming—_

_Robin?—_

_Starfire!—_

_NO!—_

"Not fragments, dammit!" Jaze hissed, pressing harder on Robin's sternum. "I want to see everything, child. _Let me in_!…"

Robin stared at those angry red eyes…_ 'No…'_ He thought. _'Please let go of me…don't do this to me!'_

"Hush…" He whispered and slipped a hand under Robin's back as the hero struggled again. He placed the palm of his hand upper center of his back behind Robin's heart. Then he gently pressed his hands together—a little painful on Robin's part.

_Dead. Both. Slade. Bruce. Starfire. Masks. Untrustworthy. Liar. Death. Fighting. Thrill. Broken. Friends. Enemies. Disbelief. Help. Alone. Always alone…_

"That's better…" Jaze sighed. "But not good enough. I need to hear it _all_…"

'_Please! STOP! Pleas don't do this! NO!'_

He pushed harder now and Robin's small scream was muffled. His chest was being crushed and he couldn't move his arms or legs to escape. He turned his head to the side, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. One escaped and fell to the floor by his face. He tried hard to struggle…and then there were so many memories—memories he cherished and memories he despised with all his might. But there was no escaping it. The man was prying into his very soul and saw everything.

"_Perfect_…" Jaze whispered in Robin's ear. Robin shivered and his chest was released.

And then he blacked-out.

-A-

Please don't kill me. I'm so sorry for forgetting to update…(_Slaps self)_ Owe…(_Rubs jaw gingerly_).

I made this one a little longer than I usually make my chapters and I was original not going to tell you what Jaze did to Robin until the next chapter. But then I began to worry that if I would forget again, I would leave you all on the edge of a cliff. Once more—I'm ever so very sorry.

Adoption theme? Sorry about that too. It was just a crazy idea that popped into my mind because I always wondered how the Titans would feel if a parent came along and ruined their free life. Well… I twisted that into Robin getting kidnapped for adoption, yadda yadda…

Last thing, I know I'm trying to avoid Slade, but that guy really does haunt every dark corner of a person's mind. You will see him in the future, but Jaze and Robin are the two main characters in this plot. You won't believe what I have planned for you next.

-Hoping you don't hate me

-Alexnandru Van Gordon


	3. Chapter three: Not real

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Hello again. As I promised in my other, more popular story, I will take a little more time to work on this story now that I've finished book two. Book three will be posted on the same link soon, so to those of you who are also reading that one, the ending was gruesome, but Slade is far from finished. You just can't kill off a villain as good as that…that easily. Chop them up, eh? Not too bad of an idea…hmmm…No—no one in this story will be cut up like so-and-so. I'm contemplating how to get back at Victor Van Heiring…

Rival (not a friend, but not an enemy either). Don't ask. But you can expect to see him soon on the web site. I think he's still angry at me for winning against him at writing—Yes, I know I write these chapters pretty bad, but that's because I'm co-writing three _real_ books right now…and I write all of these in the dead of the night.

Enough of my babbling. You came here to read the story, right? Either that or annoy me…or spy for Victor…hmmm…

DISCLAIMER: It would be too much of an accomplishment if I did. I'm just not that great…sigh…

CHAPTER THREE: Not real

The police arrived there as soon as they heard word—followed shortly by the other Titans. Those who had cared to stay after the accident were shaken and a few injured. One thing was for certain—no one was dead. Thank goodness for that.

While Cyborg and Raven talked with the police, Starfire and Beast Boy stood beside a chunk of the roof, questioning a tired civilian who had his arm wrapped up a nasty cut.

"Okay…let's go through this one last time." Beast Boy said, exhausted. It was nightfall and they were getting nowhere.

"Alright." The young man sighed, glancing at his watch briefly before returning his attention to Beast Boy.

Beast Boy pointed to Starfire. "You said Robin called you from here, saying that there was a guy named Jaze attacking the place—bandaged wrapped like a mummy, glowing red eyes, trench coat—am I right?"

"Most definitely, friend." She replied, sure of herself.

The Beast Boy turned to the man. "And _you_ say that there was no one here at all—that the roof just caved in on it's own and that Robin was never here at all?"

"Like I've said for the hundredth time—no one was here." The man rubbed his temple, trying to prove his point. "They were working on the roof anyway after some accident a while back between you guys and a mysterious young villain. The foundation was a little unstable—what can you say? It was a plain accident."

"But Robin _did_ call me!" Starfire exclaimed. "I was sure! Why would he be lying?"

"Thanks for your time." Beast Boy said to the man who left before turning back to Starfire. His eyes were drooping. "Robin's been stressed out lately. He could be somewhere else right now, his mind going bonkers on him again. We should just find him and get him to rest."

"But…"

"Raven and Cyborg think the exact same thing."

"We need proof then."

What proof? They had interviewed about fifty other people already and they all said the same thing. Either it was Starfire who was going crazy or someone was screwing with their communicators.

Oh well. They'd search and if they found something—great! A mystery…If they didn't, then Starfire would drop the subject and they could leave. He was so tired he could fall asleep on the spot. How did Starfire always act so energetic? Sugar?

"Then let's look." He gave in and transformed into a mouse. Sniffing about, he scurried along the rubble and under the cracks of the larger pieces of the roof where no one else could look.

Then he found something. He thought it was nothing much at first, but when he started to think about it, since when did bandage wrapping look this bloody and old and…smelt so strongly of ointment and disease? Unless a dying person was strolling around the building, he doubted this belonged to one of the injured civilians. It was way to peculiar to pass as a clue.

He caught a corner of the torn bandage wrapping in his mouth and fought the urge to gag as he hurried to an open space in he rubble and transform. Starfire stood not too far away and caught the clue as he tore it from his mouth and quickly tossed the sick item to her. He started wiping off his tongue and screwing up his nose at the taste. He'd have to go for shots now to make sure he didn't catch any disease.

"Proof!" Starfire exclaimed in delighted glee.

"Not enough, Star." He answered sadly. "You'll need more to convince Cyborg and Raven. Those two could think of a million reasons to prove us wrong with just that."

"And what of this?" She asked innocently, holding up a torn piece of cloth, yellow on one side and black on the other. It appeared as though it could have been part of Robin's cape.

"That's good…but not good enough. We need something concrete."

He was staring to believe her though—those two items were enough to convince him that Robin was here, and possibly kidnapped or worse…But Cyborg and Raven? Sometimes they were just too logical for their own good. They acted like adults sometimes.

"I fear we have a long night ahead of us…" Starfire whispered and he nodded with a weary look. This was going to be one long night alright…

-R-

The night his parents died, he would have probably been better off dying with them. Nothing could mend his heart after he watched them fall with the sickening thud at the end, orphaned and all alone without a brother or sister to tell him everything would be alright. That Zucco…why? Why did he have to do that? Robin was barely seven when that happened and then he was suddenly sent off to live with an introvert businessman who adopted him out of pity. If there was one thing he hated, it was being pitied—and if there was anything he hated more, it was being moved around like an item to trade. He wanted to stay with the circus, but instead he got this guy…

It ended up working better than he expected anyway. At eight he was already Robin—not just Richard Grayson, but Robin—Boy Wonder. That was one of the greatest things that ever happened to him, though he would have much rather preferred to have his parents still around. He'd give anything to see them again, embrace them, and know that they were truly there. There would be silent nights back at the tower when everyone was asleep, that he actually slept too. But his parents would always somehow find their way into his mind and he felt cold. He felt cold in the way you did when you stood out in the pouring rain without a coat or a blanket for warmth or protection. You were missing something that _should have_ been there…but it wasn't…and it was too late to bring them back.

He shivered, cold again at the mere thought of his loss. But there was nothing for him to cling to for warmth. He was tied up around the ankles and knees, wrists tied in front of him, and gagged once more. He sat in the corner of a room on the cold hard floor of what looked to be a basement—a large, dark basement. Propped up into a sitting position, he could see that he was alone.

Alone again.

"_Not alone…Not again…I'm here."_

That voice.

He remembered. It was that man—Jaze, the one with powers he used against innocent people. He was another criminal, just another villain for Robin to take down with the Titans…Where were his friends anyway?

"_You don't need them."_ The echoing voice said, sounding almost amused.

"How would you know?" Robin croaked, his voice sore for reasons unknown. Perhaps crying or screaming in his sleep?

"_I know **everything** about you now, my dear boy. I've seen, heard, and felt it all."_ Then he appeared, walking toward Robin from the darkness. Once more there was a glow around him, radiating from a source he could not find with his eyes alone. Or perhaps this was another sample of the man's powers? He seemed to have one too many skills for Robin's liking.

That's right…that man went through each and every single last one of his memories. Every pain he ever suffered or warm memory he ever cherished…he experienced them again as though they all happened yesterday. The pain and agony…it was so fresh in his mind. What Jaze had done had to have been the most cruelest thing in the world.

"So it may seem." Jaze laughed in response to his thought. "But you are an opened book—practically _pleading_ to be read. I just took a peek at the real you, the boy behind the mask. And I must admit I'm impressed. I couldn't wish for anything better than what you have to offer."

Now he was confused. This guy seriously still didn't want to adopt him? Did he…? There were so many kids out there that needed homes—No. Why would Robin ever wish a man as wicked as this one on some poor orphaned kid. At least he could escape.

"No you won't." The man said plainly.

"Then why me?"

Jaze laughed as though the answer was standing right in front of him. "Stubborn—but smart, skilled, and strong. Not bad…then there's your strange mind that is like a labyrinth which is stronger and more confusing than anyone's I ever treaded before. That's amazing…and then there's the fact that you—among all the people in the world—remind me most of my son. God, I miss him, but you'll do just fine…"

"Wait—you're replacing _me_ with your son?" He asked, shocked and worried. What—did this guy kill his own kid.

"I killed my wife, but never my son." Jaze replied, sounding aroused at the thought. "Cancer took him a short while ago and that is too unfair. So, if life is going to be cruel to me—I might as well get repaid for what was taken from me. You will be my surrogate son."

He had to be kidding him.

Jaze was silent for a moment, probably thinking. Then he bowed and backed away into the darkness. "I am needed elsewhere, but I will return. I still have to fix that mind of yours, so hold tight and be patient."

Why didn't he like the sound of that?

-St-

Dr. John Manning was a kind, young man who was willing to speak with her and Beast Boy the moment they requested a word with him. You see, Beast Boy had a hunch—what else was knew? He seemingly connected the man Robin described with the man that had been chasing down Dr. manning and his team of scientists. It would make sense, wouldn't it?

"Let's see…" The man sighed as he tried to remember, a small smile on his face. He was tall and lithe, with short black hair and light blue eyes. He was pale—probably from shock of the accident that happened shortly after he left—and a little nervous at first when they mentioned the description of the man. "He sounds familiar, but I never really saw him in the light. He always came at night or cut the power so we couldn't see him. But I remember glowing red eyes…"

"What was he after?" Beast Boy asked, somewhat excited that he could be right.

The man shrugged, uncertain of even that. "Our cancer research, I suppose. That's all we've really gotten to besides a few new weapon models—but ours' are far from the best. They're still prototypes and Wayne Enterprise has better."

Cancer research? Well…the man was bandaged up and his wrapping smelt ever so heavily of ointment and medicine—it was hard _not_ to say he could be suffering from a nearly incurable disease.

"How far have you gotten with the research?" Starfire asked. "Are you close to any amazing discoveries?"

He smiled. "I can't tell you exactly, dear, but yes. We have gotten far with that. It may be a year or two before we're ready to sell what we have, but we believe that what we've got might be the answer to more than half of the cancer types out there."

"And anything else?...Anything _at all_?"

Her eyes were wider and cuter, watery with innocence. She wanted to find Robin—badly.

"Well…we did try to make a machine once—one that would enhance the brain." He finally gave in. "But that was a failure after an…_accident_, and that project has been kept under lock and key by myself since then. No one in the public knows about it—and everyone who worked on it is on my team. They're always there with the rest of my group when that creep shows up and they want to forget about the technology as much as I do. I doubt that piece of junk has anything to do with it."

Still, the possibilities were endless. But maybe he was right. The cancer research sounded more reasonable for the man's target. But why, then, did everyone deny seeing him that night. Did he cause the accident from somewhere secret—a place where Robin followed him too? That would explain why no one saw either.

"Thank you for your time, sir." She said and grabbed Beast Boy's arm, dragging him quickly after her out into the hall. Dr. Manning called a goodbye before shutting his door and then they were safe to talk.

"What's got you?" Beast Boy asked, quite confused by her hurry.

"Something does not _fit_. I fear we are missing something…"

Beast Boy laughed weakly. "If you mean that doctor dude, yeah. He was holding back, but you can't blame him. He can't tell his stuff to just anybody—even us. The walls have ears you know."

"They do?"

He sighed, shoulder's slouching. "No, Star—it's a figure of speech."

"Oh…but I feel you are right. Dr. J. Manning is holding something back, but why? We need him to save our friend."

"I know, Star." He sighed and patted her arm as they headed for the elevator. "But we'll just have to find out more about this Jaze guy on our own."

-J-

Meddling children—how _stupid_ they were to stroll right up to the villain and ask personal questions about him! He could have killed them on the spot, but he could use them. He could use them in many ways, especially that alien girl who Robin fancied. Kids were so giddy sometimes. Why not tell someone you love them instead of always running around the task.

Oh well, at least they were gone.

He leaned against his desk and sat on the corner, arms crossed. As easily as he could get around them, John worried they would come back again and possibly ruin him. Even though his hopes of discovering the cure to cancer before his son died were shattered, he still had the young hero. He also still had that nifty little machine that _wasn't_ broken. It gave him his powers and those foolish comrades didn't think he could be the one behind everything. He was just badgering them, pushing them into advancing a better version that wouldn't give Robin the same side affects it gave him. Every time he used his powers he faced pain. Every time he used the element of illusion to mask his identity, his body strained not to become truly diseased. That could be fixed, though. He just needed time…

Speaking of which, he had been rude to leave Robin all alone back at his mansion. He could try his first version of his machine on the boy and then the new version later if he faced the same problems. He could also save himself, and then he could be happy again—powerful and no longer alone…not again…

-A-

Sorry if this one was short. I had to end it here or my next chapter wouldn't be as exciting. I wonder how many of you guys put Dr. Manning and Jaze together and thought: _Hmmm…I see some possible connections…_

Anyhow, I will try to write and submit my next chapter soon. Me evil other half, Victor Van Heiring is staying at my house for a while as he visits Edmonton with my aunt, and he's trying to take over my stories. He's the same age as me and looks as though he could be my evil twin—I'm serious. And he just wants me to be as evil as him. How kind of him…(Not!). Just beware—my little sister might be mean and give him my password. The last thing I want is for him to be updating my stories behind my back and messing up my account. Oh well. I hoped you enjoyed this one, and wait until you see what I've got planned.

-Bowing

-Alexnandru Van Gordon


	4. Chapter four: Returning

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Reasons I have not been writing lately:

Hard drive on my laptop was killed and so I was forced to share the one in the basement.

Evil older cousin is moving into Edmonton and staying at my house for the time being. He is trying to sabotage me and my writing. Also—he double posted something on my account and I've been suspended from updating up until now. I could kill him…

Fell down the basement stairs and seriously injured knee. I cannot get down the steps without my cousin or someone else helping me

Working on Blast to the Supposed Past trilogy.

Please don't kill me, even though I've promise a zillion times not to forget. I know I deserve a good beating, but I've been quite busy later. Please excuse my tardiness and accept my little gift—another chapter! Plus—there's another villain coming along and I didn't invent him. I just hope I don't forget about updating again…

DISCLAIMER: Won't ever own them. Jaze and this plot are my only creations.

CHAPTER FOUR: Returning…

It was cold, dark, and dissonantly silent outside in the night—what else would you expect? But here was Jump City at long last after such a miserably long time. He had a few people to greet, particularly the Teen Titans. They would pay for what they did. Who were _they_ to think he would die so easily by their tiny hands.

Slade was back and he wanted revenge. He would skin that blast changeling, Beast Boy, but more importantly, he had to pay a visit to his old _apprentice_. He didn't want Robin to grow soft, but he was sure the infidel child was still fighting crime. He only hoped he'd be up for a fight tonight.

What a surprise her received when he slid into the T-tower with ease and overheard a loud conversation in the main room. It was the changeling and the demon girl, Raven. He was yelling and she was trying to ignore him.

"Dude—I'm telling you! He's been kidnapped!"

The girl sipped her tea and tried to pay him no mind until he stole her glass. "You are annoying me." She muttered, taking it back with her powers.

The boy turned from green to red in an instant and starting stomping around the room, kicking the couch with his foot and suddenly hopping around when he realized it hurt. "

"I'm telling you again! _He's been kidnapped_!"

"The closet thing Robin ever was to being kidnapped was when he was tricked by Slade." She snapped angrily, the calm look returning to her face in a moment. "Besides, who would do it? Why kidnap the Boy Wonder for no apparent reason."

"Slade kidnapped him and he had a reason—one we would have never guessed in a million years if not for Starfire." He flopped down on the semi-circle couch with a huff. "You were wrong—Cyborg was wrong. At least _I_ tried to explain why he was acting so weird. You guys doubt him too easily."

The girl frowned for the second time that night and her glass shattered in a heart beat. She slammed the book she was reading shut and spun around on the counter seat to face him. "How dare you bring that up again! I believe in Robin just as much as you do! He's our leader and he's gotten himself out of worse situations—and that's why I think _you_ are the unbeliever by going crazy over looking for him."

"At least I _am_ looking for him." He muttered and sat up to look at her. "And you—"

The young hero gasped as he saw Slade standing in the doorway to the main room. He mouthed Slade's name, not even able to say it. Then he was frowning, a growl growing in the back of his throat.

"You did this…" Beast Boy said, two tiny hands curled into whit-knuckled fists. "You tried to take Robin and then you killed Terra—and now you're back to do it again. Are you insane, man!"

He frowned behind his back, watching the demon girl in the corner of his eye as her own eyes began to glow a solid white. "I would have thought you'd guess that by now." He sighed, not at all worried about the two weaklings. "Tell me—what's this talk of Robin's disappearance?"

"We'd never tell you!" the girl shouted and the top of the counter was torn from its place. It came soaring at Slade and crashed to the ground when he flipped over it. His flip brought him to the one called Beast Boy, whom he grabbed by the throat with one hand and lifted him off the ground with absolute ease. He squeezed and the child began to cough for air. The girl, seeing that Slade could kill him in a heart beat, relaxed her powers.

"I think you will tell me everything, my dear." He said, smiling now behind his mask. "Depending on how much you tell me, will allow me to know how much you care for your companions."

His grip tightened and she was startled. She was going to tell him a great deal of things if she wanted anyone in the tower to live to see tomorrow…

J-

He came back later into the night, having an odd day at work with his bumbling comrades. They were all shaken because "Jaze" was back in town and that meant more running. John, however, wasn't going to stand for it. He kindly explained that the Teen Titans protected Jump City and they could stop "Jaze" from attacking them again. They ate it up like cats to milk and he had to actually try not to roll his eyes. Like the Teen Titans could stop him. He had their leader tied up back at his place.

After the day, he went home quickly to see what had happened. He didn't know what to expect when he got there, though. Would Robin still be a tad bit dizzy from Jaze's meddling, or would he roaming around somewhere in the mansion looking for a way out. Jaze's powers allowed him to keep a barrier over the mansion. All exits were locked, but you never knew. He could have missed a window.

When he arrived back the place was quiet. Everything was already unpacked and nothing was touched for as far as he could see. When he came to the basement door, however, he found a hole in the wood just above the knob, about the size of a small fist. He didn't have to guess who had done that.

"Robin!" He called with a sigh, taking off his coat. "You can't hide in here!"

There was no answer—but that was expected. He came into the large kitchen first and threw down his coat on a chair before making his way around the first floor. He noticed that one of the locks on the window was broken, but, of course, his powers allowed for it to be kept shut no matter how much force was applied to the frame or the glass.

"We can play games later." He called to Robin, wherever he was. "Come out, Robin. I only want to _talk_…"

He grinned as he headed up the stairs slowly toward the second floor. Robin was trapped…

R-

He might as well be locked up in an insane asylum. It took him a while to free himself from his bindings and even longer to find his way around in the dark of the basement. The door was easy enough to break through. Just a well placed punch and all he had to do was feel around for the lock. He was actually surprised how simply it was to escape…until he found the window, that is. He tried every move in the book and found himself flying back across the room half the time. It was Jaze and his confounded powers.

Robin wanted to strangle the man.

Maybe there was an attic. If he could get out the window up there, he could probably scale down the side of the mansion.

The moment he was up the stairs he heard the front door open. Heart racing, he froze for a moment as he panicked and dashed into a room near the stairs. Quietly, he gazed around the doorframe down the stairs at Jaze as he entered—it was Dr. Manning!

That, strangely, made a surprisingly large amount of sense…somehow. He would have to look over all the clues later when he escaped.

He watched cautiously as the man made his way into the one of the rooms. He was on his way to the basement.

He was right.

"Robin! You can't hide in here!"

Somehow he kept himself from swearing. All he needed was a small window that would open and he'd be out of here in the blink of an eye. Sadly, he also needed time…

Biting his lower lip as he thought, he sneaked further down one of the long hallways, trying doors along the way. Some of them were locked, and the ones that did opened led to normal rooms with unbreakable windows like the one downstairs. He had to give credit to Jaze for setting up such a security system.

"We can play games later. Come out, Robin. I only want to _talk_…"

Robin listened carefully. From where he was, he could faintly hear Jaze walking up the stairs.

This was just too unfair! What did he ever do to deserve something like this? Heavens forbid Slade wasn't too much of a punishment when he was around!

"Where's the attic…" Robin muttered under his breath. He opened the last door down at the dead-end of the hallway. If Jaze caught him here, he wouldn't have much of anywhere else to run.

There!

This was more of a storage room than a bedroom, and from the ceiling hung a short rope. He pulled it gently and slowly lowered the ladder which led up into the attic. Maybe things were going to look up for him.

Hearing Jaze in the hallway, he climbed the stairs and pulled the ladder up behind him. Then, standing, he gazed around at the jungle of crates…and very few real boxes. It was like a maze, one which he got lost in almost immediately. And, although he tried as hard as he could in his search, there was no window to be found. He was trapped…again.

He jumped—hearing the small ladder slam down as Jaze opened the attic entrance. There was a creaks as he climbed up and all Robin could do was stay quietly at the back of the room behind many of the large crates.

"I see you've taken a look around." Jaze said, sounding not the least bit surprise. "But enough running. Now is the to talk and set that little mind of yours right. It'll only take a short while, and I promise it doesn't hurt…near the end."

His heart beat sped up and he found that his hands were sweating in his gloves. How could he fight against a man with mental powers as dangerous as his? There was no possible escape from the house—and none at all to get out of the attic. It was a plain game of cat and mouse.

"I can hear your thoughts." Jaze said, sounding closer.

Robin looked around. The present place he had chosen to hide wasn't exactly easy to leave. His only possible exit to move somewhere else without getting caught was to go over the crates—but that would be noisy and Jaze just might here him. And what then? He couldn't just run into another room, and Jaze could easily chase him down the hallways. His best bet was to stay silent and wait and see if Jaze accidentally passed him.

And where to then?

There was a creak on the other side of one of the crates and Robin gasped ever so softly. He covered his mouth with a hand and held his breath, worried Jaze had heard, and—sadly—he did.

Robin jumped atop one of the other crates and back down to the floor on the other side. Jaze had his belt somewhere, but if he had it he could have possibly put up a better fight than the one back at Wayne Enterprise. Things just weren't going his way lately.

Running around another crate—he slammed into Jaze's chest and stumbled backward until his back hit another crate. The man was good, he had to give him credit for that, and he was so damn quiet at the exact same time.

"You're really funny, kid." Jaze laughed, now somehow disguised as his usual covered up mummy self. Perhaps it had something to do with illusions. "Why don't you calm down. You looked horrified."

"Wouldn't you?" Robin growled, so upset he didn't whether to try running the guy over or hitting him. "First you kidnap me and then you keep me prisoner in some inescapable mansion. I'm not staying!"

Jaze shook his head, '_tisk-_ing' Robin with the shake of an index finger. "Adults make the decisions for the children, kid. And I say you're not going anywhere."

"But why me?" Robin asked. "Why not someone else?"

There was a long pause from Jaze, but he maniac answered after sighing heavily. "There are a lot of reasons, Boy Wonder. You've got potential and it would be a shame to see it go to such sane waste as a hero. Then there's the fact that you remind me of my son somehow. I don't know… there's just something about you that I don't think I can't get from someone else. The list goes one, but I'll tell you that later."

Robin had nothing to say to that. He remembered hearing that Dr. J. Manning once had a son who died of cancer. He knew what it felt like to lose someone close to you—heck, he still remembered the sickening thud they made when they hit the ground. He would do anything to get his parents back and he would never stop missing them. Somehow Bruce numbed that constant grief. It was mandatory to have someone as a surrogate relative just to ease the pain. The original person/people could never be replaced, but it was nice to have someone there for you.

"You hungry?" Jaze asked and turned around, heading toward the exit through the small maze. "If you want to argue with me, at least wait until we both have some energy."

Robin didn't like the guy, but he didn't have much of a choice—not to mention he was actually getting a bit hungry…

"If it's any significance to you…" Jaze paused and gazed over his shoulder at Robin with his glowing red eyes. "…your friends are looking for you. The green one and the alien came to see _Dr. Manning_ to find any information on a odd man with a trench coat, mummy wrap, and glowing red eyes. They're _convinced_ you've been kidnapped. Fancy that! You—kidnapped!"

Robin ignored the man as he continued onward, laughing like the psychopath he was. So they hadn't given up on them…they believed him...

Maybe they were true friends.

A-

Short—I know! I reached a major block and I've been trying to find a way around it. Well, you know my excuses of not updating lately. Thank you for reminding me—it was a big help. If it hadn't been for you guys I would have probably forgotten about this story altogether. Keep chasing me down about it if I take to long—and I will allow you to shoot at me with any firearm you can lay a hand on. Just don't hit me in the head or chest. I don't want to die…

Forever sorry

Alexnandru Van Gordon


	5. Chapter five: Old enemies

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Hello again! I'm flattered so many people like this story enough that they bug me about it in other reviews. He he he…yeah, Ahem, well…I guess I should pay more attention to this since it isn't too bad. I didn't think many people would like the "kidnap-to-adopt" plot I had going for a while. I have a general idea where this story is going; it just takes me longer to write than "Blast to the Supposed Past" because I don't have all the connections to piece the story together properly. Oh yes, and I'm going to be starting another story soon. This one has Robin, Slade, and—Red-X. Surprisingly, most of the story will revolve around him, but this story is strictly about Boy Wonder. Also, I just had to add Slade to make things interesting. You guy will see what I have planned soon.

Hey—enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: Do I own them? Let me think…No!

CHAPTER FIVE: Old Enemies

He felt very hot and didn't want to move or speak. So, with his arms crossed and a frown playing across his face, he sat at the kitchen table like a stone statue as he waited for Jaze to return. Seeing that he wasn't going to be going anywhere anytime soon, he might as well put this guy's guard down. Maybe then he could…

"I heard that!" Jaze—or, rather, John Manning, now that he had changed his appearance—called as he entered the kitchen. Robin had changed as well into a sweater and a pair of jeans Jaze gave him earlier. The mask, however, he refused to take off. He didn't care if the man knew his true identity or not!

"Escape won't be easy." Jaze continued as he went over to the fridge. "Now you can either relax so we can talk things over, or I can lock you up in the basement again—and this time I put a barrier over the door like I did to all the windows. Understand?"

"Whatever." He muttered and slid down lower on the chair. This was driving him nuts.

Jaze took out some cheese and fruit from the fridge and placed it on the table for them to eat. Robin ate a little in silence, watching carefully as Jaze read a sheet of paper he had pulled out from somewhere. It obviously had to do with his work.

His work…that reminded Robin—didn't he study the cancer and any diseases related to the brain? It made him wonder if the man had done something to himself to acquire the odd powers he sued to kidnap him and keep him here in the house. That _would _make a lot of sense…

"You're a smart kid." Jaze said as he put down the paper. "You're also right."

"So you did do something to yourself…you made yourself insane."

Jaze frowned at the small insult but chose to ignore it otherwise. "I did invent a machine that went deeper into the dormant powers all humans possess. Your so-called superheroes have only tapped into what they can do. My machine can make it possible for everything."

That was an interesting point.

"And _why_ exactly did you create it?" Robin asked; sitting up straighter in his chair. "I thought your major goal was to discover the cure top cancer?"

"That was my goal _after_ I invented the machine. I wasn't really _motivated_ to find the cure to cancer until I discovered my son was dying of a brain tumor. But I guess I was a little too late for that."

Robin had planned another insult to throw at the man but held it back after the sappy tale. He, most of all, knew what it was like to suddenly lose someone so close to you. Bruce knew how it felt too and—

"What about the people I know?" Robin asked abruptly, once more upset he was kidnapped. "Do I just let them believe I was either killed or _whatever_!"

"I guess so." Jaze shrugged, taking an apple from the plate and somehow spinning it on his index finger. "They'll get over your lose in a year or two. Give them time."

"WHAT!" He could have almost slugged the guy had it not been for the warning side-ways glare the man gave him. "I know what it feels like to lose someone dear to you. I don't want to lose anyone else! Besides, even you know they're still looking for me."

Jaze shrugged a second time and took the spinning apple into his hand before placing it back down on the plate. "They will give up after they discover their efforts are all for nothing—and what do I care of your loved ones? If you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly a goody-goody like you."

Then that was it. He had no choice but continue searching for a way out of this place before Jaze did something drastic. And who knew what he was capable of doing with his powers. But he had to be quick about it…

"Quick indeed…" Jaze whispered and frowned in a menacing look. "Don't think of this as imprisonment…more as though you were_ grounded_." And he stood, leaving Robin alone in the kitchen to think. The thing was—he couldn't think without Jaze looking through his mind. But what if he were asleep, or when he was at work—

"Tomorrow's Saturday!" Jaze called back to him, reading his mind for the umpteenth time these last few days. "I don't go to work until Monday."

Well, wasn't that just great.

BB-

He still had a headache from the lack of oxygen, sitting on the couch as he rubbed his sore throat. Slade stood next to him with a hand on his shoulder to hurt him if he tried anything and Raven was near the kitchen area—still answering the questions Slade shot at her. She tried to avoid giving him an informative answer as best she could, but Beast Boy had had every strangle hold invented exercised on him and he wasn't exactly feeling like peaches and cream. Know he knew why Robin hated him so much.

Glancing up at Slade, he shot a dirty look at the maniac as he bombarded her with yet another question—a question he had been trying to get a straight answer to all night—_Where was Robin_? She told him the truth the first time—that he was simply missing—but then she tried to weave in a story to lead Slade off from their case. Slade, of course, chose not to believe a word she said and beat the living daylights out of him. Raven tried to attack him a few more times, but a quick dodge and the sudden choking noise coming from Beast Boy and she stopped immediately.

The way she treated him sometimes, Beast Boy would have never guessed she cared about him so much.

"We don't know!" She snapped, almost in a pleading voice as her eyes darted briefly to Beast Boy. "The last time we saw him he was here at the tower. He was sleeping!"

"The boy doesn't sleep much." Slade hissed, and it was true. Robin was some sort of vampire that didn't need sleep—_period_. "Least of all at the time you stated you saw him last. Noon? Sounds out of character, don't you think?"

"Give us a break!" Beast Boy finally shouted, sick of everything. "You have to believe us! If Robin were here, don't you think he'd be at your throat already?"

"Which reminds me…" Slade grabbed his throat again and slammed him back down onto the couch before releasing him. "Where are the other brats of your club?"

Good question…Where exactly was Starfire and Cyborg. The last time he checked, they were on the roof, Cyborg teaching Starfire the rules of soccer.

There was the answer. Starfire was trying to learn soccer—not an easy task when the ball kept exploding from her alien strength. The volleyball somehow always survived, but the soccer ball didn't have as much luck…

He groaned and just sat there as Slade repeated the question. Raven didn't look too swell either. She simply remained seated at the kitchen-counter, head resting in the hand, supported by leaning on her elbow. She appeared genuinely exhausted, not something usual when you were dealing with Raven.

"I grow bored of you children." Slade sighed, gripping Beast Boy's shoulder tighter. He had attempted changing forms quite a few times ago, but Slade stabbed him with something that looked like an eppy-pen. It made him sleepy…and he couldn't focus. "Who did _you_ see last after you saw him."

"John Manning's display." Beast Boy yawned. "That's it."

Somehow his answered satisfied the man. Slade released his shoulder and stayed quiet for a long time, a hand on his chin as he pondered…Then he reached for something at his belt the exact same time Raven reactivated her powers. He pulled out something that resembled a small black marble and threw it to the ground. Thick billowing clouds of smoke rose for his feet and cloaked him in an ominous mist. Beast Boy found himself coughing more than when Slade choked him.

Where was he anyway?

He stood up and started making his way through the cloud blinding—until he hit the coffee table with his shins and came crashing down upon it. Hitting his head, he just laid atop the painted-over wood until the cloud cleared enough for him to open his eyes and see Raven standing over him, hacking her lungs out from the smoke.

"I take it he's gone?" He asked, eye rolling in a hypnotizing swirl as he rubbed his sore head. "He got away again…"

"I'm sure Robin would have a fit if he ever found out about this." Raven said in her monotone voice. "But why did John Manning's name interest him. I know Dr. Manning and his group of scientists were being hunted down by someone…but that was at the exact same time we were fighting Slade in Jump City. The man cannot be in two places at the exact same time."

Beast Boy shivered. "Don't care—that man is freaky."

He stood and brushed himself off, surprised that he didn't break the coffee table in half. It would have been just his luck if something of the sort had happened.

"I'm…going to get some ice." He said; a little dizzy as he staggered around the couch. "Going…to lie down now…"

He could only imagine raven shaking her head as he left to go heal. Why did he feel as though his empty head was full of lead? Why him?...Why poor Robin?...

J-

It was peaceful for a time being while he went to his den and went through his old paperwork. He was looking for the files on his invention. As soon as he found that, he could start on robin…

The loud crash, of course, wasn't a very happy sound to hear. Only Robin would continue in his futile attempts to escape…

Sure enough, upon bolting up the stairs and running into one of the rooms, he slid to a halt before he ran into Robin. The far wall by the windows was as black as charcoal, the same as Robin face and the front of his cloths. There were some wires, and the remains of some other things the boy had found around in the place stacked in a pile in the corner.

A bomb.

Jaze walked around the boy and stopped in front of the still-standing window, arms crossed, head shaking slowly from side to side as he turned around to face Boy Wonder. "You tried a _bomb_? You have a death wish or something, kid?"

"I know how to make them!" Robin snapped, trying to brush the soot off his hands. " I've made a ton of them for my own use. But you have different..._supplies_ here that isn't very good."

"No more bombs!" Jaze yelled loud and clear. "Trying to tear the window frame off the wall with an axe was one thing—but a bomb is too much! Try something like that again and I _will _lock you up in the basement."

"Go ahead." The persistent boy muttered, crossing his own arms in defiance. "See if I care."

Jaze looked him over and shook his head again. "Go get cleaned up. You know where your new room is so get some new clothes and wash up. You look like you ran through a coal mine."

Robin muttered something else but left the room before Jaze could catch it. He'd have to find those files soon if he wanted to change Robin, and, by the looks of things, his attitude was the first thing that needed to go. Just a few adjustments to his brain here-and-there and the Boy Wonder would have a whole different opinion of everything.

There was a sudden tingling in the back of his head right where the pine connected to the brain. It was gentle at first, but turned into a sharp pain right before it disappeared entirely.

He took the sore spot gently and ran to the window. It wasn't another side affect of his experiment…it was something else—or _someone_ else. Trouble was headed his way, but who could be such a threat to a physic such as himself. If Boy Wonder was having trouble getting past Jaze, who, then, could possess the power to be a danger…

_Slade_.

It had to be him. Jaze had had enough trouble with the man in the pats, especially _before_ Jaze had his powers. Slade kidnapped _him_ to create him weapons and chemicals of every sort to do something awful to the world. Perhaps sensing him wasn't such a bad thing, though. Perhaps now was his time for revenge…

S-

The room was dark save for the large screen ahead of him decorated with the information he needed. So the little green freak wasn't lying after all. The famous scientist was in town after all, and up to no good it seemed. Dead son? Murdered wife? It looked as though something back-fired on the good doctor and he came up with something brilliant. To add to that, Robin was missing.

How much did he want to bet that the young hero was with the lunatic?

A lot.

"Still up to no good I see, Dr. Manning." Slade said aloud to himself. "Look at the mess you've created."

But the deal wasn't that bad. If the doctor succeeded in what Slade thought he was going to do…Let's just say Robin was going to be switching captors a lot.

Soon…

A-

Finished! Hazzah! I hope you like this one and I promise to write more soon. I just hope more people review. I wrote a nice long chapter for my other story and so far only one person has reviewed….Sigh. Oh well.

Anyhow—watch out for Jaze and Slade! Old rivalry going here, but what did you guys think at the beginning of the story when I made Jaze mention how Slade and Robin were alike. Did you think Slade and Jaze could have been buddies, or did you know there was a sharp tack between them? I think you guys are smart—I think you all knew it was B…I think…

Anyhow—I've got to go right now. For once in my life I am writing this in the morning at school and I have to go for Airband! Ahhhhhh Airband! I hate dancing with a passion, but I have to do it for drama.

Save me,

Alexnandru Van Gordon


	6. Chapter six: New Problems

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Victor: Hey—here's another chapter!

Alex: I still feel so oddly happy and I can't figure out why…

Victor: Because we have a homework-free weekend? O.o?

Alex: I always have a homework-free weekend because I finish it all in school…I'll be back. I'm going to the doctor to get my knee checked up—so that mean's Victor is submitting this chapter. But I'll be back by time he's finished typing what I have written down so I'll see you guys again. Until then—Goodbye! (_Older sister helps him upstairs from the basement_.)

Victor: (_Evil grin_.) Poor kid—he still doesn't know it's the new pain relievers I got for him. His knee's been a real pain so I decided to drug him up, but I must admit I'm a little surprised. I thought he would be overly _tired_ not overly _happy_—but don't worry. I made sure I gave him the correct amount, not an overdose. Preacher boy will live to continue his stories.

DISCLAIMER: Alex owns Jaze and the plot—I own nihil (that's "nothing" in Latin. Alex likes to speak in Latin a lot so I picked it a while back).

CHAPTER SIX: New problems

After cleaning himself up, he sat inside his "new room" on the bed. He was facing the window and had a lovely view of the sunset…Starfire liked sunsets and she was usually on the roof watching them when they had a night free of crime. He missed her…his missed them all.

"He's going to kill me when he finds out…" Robin muttered, falling back to lie down, legs dangling over the edge. He was referring to 'Bruce Wayne' his legal guardian as of the death of his parents so many years ago. The memory of their death had always been painful for him, but he hadn't been thinking about them much until he was suddenly abducted by Jaze and labeled his son. Honestly, he would rather be locked in Mad Mob's school than stay with this guy another day. Not only was he running out of plans, but he couldn't figure out what Jaze was up to. He was in his den looking for something…

"Stupid man…" He said, sitting up. Boy was he bored…

He scratched the back of his neck and leaned forward to rest the elbow of his free arm on his knee. That was when he noticed something outside in the forest. It was a spark…or whatever you would call it when light reflected of a smooth surface. It was brief though, and no matter how he moved his head, the sparkle did not return.

It was in motion.

Curious, he stood up and walked over to the window. He tried to open it when he suddenly remembered that Jaze had something of a _spell_ over the mansion. Robin couldn't get out no matter what he tried.

"Damn you!" He cursed and stormed toward his door. Grabbing the doorknob he turned it and—

He tried again.

Frustrated, he banged his forehead against the door as loudly as he could. Oh well, what did he expect for trying to blow up the window after trying to pry it open with an axe? To put it lightly, Jaze probably grounded him.

He hadn't been grounded since he was last with Bruce…That was when he was really young and quite upset that he couldn't go out crime fighting since he had the cold. He slipped a little hot sauce in Bruce's bowl of soup before Alfred could deliver it to the dinning room for dinner. To sum up the story, Bruce didn't have a strong mouth for spicy food. Figures. They never ate Mexican food…

He shook his head and returned to the present situation. Now was not the time for memory lane.

"Jaze!" He called, banging his fist against the door. "I need to talk to you! Either let me out or come up here!"

There was no answer and Robin partially expected that. So, not wanting to waste anymore time, he pulled back his right hand as he wound it up into a fist and—

'_Don't you dare put your fist through the door!'_

Robin paused…Did he just hear Jaze in his mind. It would make sense…

'_Yes—I'm listening. Now what has gotten you haywire, or is this going turn into another argument about me holding you prisoner here?'_

"Humph!" Robin sighed, crossing his arms as he strolled back over to the window. "Are you expecting visitors?"

'_No? Why?'_

"Because someone's in your yard."

There was a pause. _'Really? Let me just check…'_

Robin waited patiently while he stared out the window. Then, amongst the trees, he saw another flash—this time far closer. The intruder was gaining speed.

'_Hmmm…you're right—but that someone is not alone. Looks like I'm going to be busy…'_

"Doing what?"

'_Fighting of course. Why do you ask?'_

Robin grinned. "Can I help?"

There was another pause before Jaze spoke to him again. _'And why would you want to help me out and fight?'_

"I became a hero for a reason you know. Besides, seeing that I can't hit you without you using your powers on, I've got to take all my frustration out on someone else."

'_Hmmm…sounds fair. Try your door—it should be unlocked now.'_

Robin turned around and headed toward the door. True to his word, the door was unlocked, but once he tried to step out into the hall—bang! It was like walking into a wall.

"What was that for?" He exclaimed.

'_That? Oh—it was just a reminder that you'll still be grounded once this is over. And if you try to put another fist through any other door—'_

"I get the picture…" He muttered and finally he could walk into the hall. It felt good to be out of his room, even though he had plenty of space in there to do flips. Somehow he still felt cramped in there.

_Crash!_

There was the sound of broken glass coming from downstairs, followed by a series of loud thuds and the sound of wires short circuiting. His room was fairly close to the grand stairs and so it only took him a few brief moments to reach the stairs and slid down the railing in the blink of an eye. The noises were coming from the kitchen.

Running into the room, he slid on a puddle of water and fell to the hard ceramic on his left hip. That, surprisingly, really hurt—and not only that, but a robot tripped backwards over him when Jaze—in his mummy form—slugged the guy in the face.

"I thought you said you were going to help." Jaze said as he aided Robin in standing. Just watch the water. One of them knocked a vase off the table."

Robin bit back a remark and stared at the window he last attempted his escape from. Then his gaze fell on the robot—and his heart just about jumped into his throat.

A Slade-bot? No way!

"That guy is still alive!" Robin yelled, kicking the broken robot so hard it slid across the kitchen floor. "Go pull the other one!"

"It looks like we both have a bone to pick with him." Jaze said, stepping over the broken glass to look out the window. "More are headed this way, I presume, so go suit up and meet me back down here. This is going to be one hell of a night…"

Robin gave the robot one last glare before he stormed back the way he came. This just got better and better, didn't it…

-St-

"Man! How the hell does Robin use this thing!" Beast Boy complained, still trying to figure out how to open the files on the computer. He was an expert at using the game system, but when it came to such things as internet-explorer…Let's just say he met a challenge.

"Perhaps the giant **E** represents this in-ter-net you speak of?" Starfire asked innocently. Cyborg was juicing up his battery and Raven was in the evidence room looking up on Slade. If it hadn't been for the fact that everything was labeled in some foreign language, they probably would have had this figured out by now.

"Nah—internet starts with an 'i' not and 'e'." He corrected, scratching the back of his head. "Maybe it's this **1** with a blue circle around it?"

He clicked on it and window popped up—this time in English—reading "_Real One Player"_ in big bold letters.

"Give me a break here!" Beast Boy whimpered and suddenly coughed. Rubbing his throat he muttered a curse on Slade and closed the window with another huff of annoyance. "Maybe this one with the small world…"

Starfire sighed and shook her head sadly. "That is the window of security for the in-ter-net."

"The keyhole then?"

"Another _security system_ for this in-ter-net you speak of."

"What about this little envelope with the two blue arrows wound around it?" He clicked on it and the window saying **Outlook Express** came up. This too he closed like the others. "Damn—it's because of all those break-ins that Robin changed everything to…_whatever_ language he's got this all in. Looks Norwegian…"

"Please—what is _Nor-we-in_?"

Beast Boy paused. "Can't remember…"

-J-

Another hit to his face almost broke his nose, but it sent him reeling back in an attempt to regain his balanced as he walked into the wall. For robots, these guys really had strength—He ducked just as a second fist came towards his face. The robots hand was stuck in the wall and that gaze just enough to open the palm of his hand and take aim at the metallic soldier. An unseen force came form his hand and threw the robot back across the living out into the hall. It narrowly missed Robin who was once more in his costume. Twirling his staff around, he smacked anyone that came too close to him, seasoned up with a couple of kicks and a few punches here and there. He actually seemed to be enjoying this.

"Behind you." Jaze said calmly to the young Boy Wonder as he slid his hands into his coat pockets. Now relaxed, he didn't need to use his hands to stop the robot suddenly in midair as it leapt to kick Robin in the back of his head. "Never mind." He shrugged when Robin spun around, watching as Jaze slowly crushed it with his mental powers. It took a lot of concentration, but nothing was there to bother him.

"Ummm…thanks…" Robin said in reply before walking out of the room to find more of Slade's commandos. They had seen plenty of his robots, but not so much of the actual mastermind. Knowing him, he probably just sent his robots as a little test, but you could never know.

Stepping around the litter of machinery, he strolled after Robin into the hallway and followed close behind as they gazed into every room before circling the entire first floor. They ended up where they started—the kitchen.

"I guess that's it…" Robin shrugged, retracting his Bo-staff and replacing in a compartment of his utility belt. Jaze had been kind enough to return it to him for the time being, but it all depended on whether or not Robin tried anything funny while he had it back.

"Seems a little easy, don't you think?" He murmured, staring once more out the broken window at the forest. It was getting awfully dark outside and there were no lights on inside the mansion. It was almost too dark for a normal person to see.

Robin leaned down and turned the knocked-over table upright and then the chairs. "He's probably got something planned. But this is Slade we're talking about. He's sneaky about everything and likes to surprise his crowd."

"Too true. That old bastard just keeps jumping out of nowhere, and it makes me look like a pathetic excuse of a villain."

"I wouldn't count on that." Robin muttered, thinking that Jaze hadn't heard. He finished standing up all the chairs and stared down at the pile of glass spreading out across most of the kitchen floor. "What about all this?"

He waved a hand to dismiss the worry of cleaning the place. "I just need to think about it for five seconds and things will return to normal in a short while."

"Really?" Robin asked, sounding a little interested. "How much can you do with your powers."

He turned around and sighed as he thought about it. "Despite my powers, I have rather hard boundaries, but—basically—I can make most thoughts take form in reality. If I think I can get into your mind, I will probably find a way in. But I need to be close. That's why I didn't hear you at first when you were upstairs. It was only because I took a break from tearing up my den that I actually started thinking about you and heard your thoughts of breaking the door down."

"So even you have your limits…"

Jaze frowned behind the bandage wrapping across his entire face. "Don't even start."

Robin shrugged with a grin. "Hey, I have the freedom of speech. Why can't I have the freedom of thought?"

Jaze pointed out of the room. "Go to your room. You're still grounded."

"Stupid…arrogant…" Robin started his little whispers of insults but obeyed without further argument. It left Jaze with time to think about Slade. He wouldn't be able to keep a mind's-eye on Robin tonight due to the fact that all his thoughts would be focused on Slade, but at least he could still keep the barrier around the house to keep him inside. Which reminded him…

How did Slade's robots get inside in the first place? If they could get inside, that meant that Slade could take anything…But what was he looking for? Jaze's files? Ha! Jaze had enough trouble trying to find those one his own. He shouldn't have packed them when he moved…

"Damn you Slade…" He cursed and headed out of the room toward the basement. He still had a couple of boxes downstairs, so maybe one of them held his files…

-R-

He had to admit that he was a little tired. His back was sore between the shoulder blades form a nasty little fall he took on the coffee-table when a robot knocked him over. Was it just him, or were Slade's robots seemingly faster and stronger.

Then he shivered mentally as he walked up the grand stairs. Slade was back…that, or his robots were still doing what they were programmed to do. Nah…they were noticeably advanced since the last time he fought them and that was around the time Slade _supposedly_ died. Someone was currently working on them, but who, besides Cyborg, knew how to create such advanced technology. It had to be Slade…yet it couldn't.

'_He's back to haunt me.'_ Robin thought miserably. That meant he would probably starve himself again and lose a ton of sleep over worrying about the maniac's return. It's not that he wanted to…he just didn't feel hungry and everything seemed to irritate him when he tried to sleep. It just wasn't fair.

Opening the door to his room, he closed the door behind him as he entered the darkness and tested the doorknob. It locked with a noticeable click before he could touch it and he knew that he Jaze didn't forget he was grounded. Oh well…hopefully he'd be allowed out later.

"_Long time, no see, Robin."_

Startled, he spun around and reached to his utility belt…which was gone.

How did that happen?

Looking up he saw a tall dark figure standing in front of his window. It was light outside just enough so that he could see Slade's silhouette and, somehow, his one frightening eye, It was pinned on Robin, narrowing as Slade probably smiled behind his half black, half copper mask.

"You look tired." Slade continued as he looked Robin over. 'I hope my robots weren't too much of a trouble for you?"

"Not at all." He growled. It was then that he saw what Slade held in one of his hands—Robin's utility belt.

"Looking for this?" Slade asked, following Robin's eye to stare at the belt. "I know you don't give in without a fight, but I didn't want this to take too long. Sorry, but I'll be holding onto this for the time being."

Robin took up his fighting stance and frowned at his arch nemesis. "What do you want Slade? You came awfully far out of Jump City just to talk."

Slade sighed and shook his head…then laughed. "You're so foolish sometimes, Robin. Plain and simple—_I'm here to take you back_."

-A and V-

Alex: Hey—I'm back! I hoped you like this chapter…and I hope Victor didn't change anything about it.

Victor: I didn't so relax.

Alex: Okay, people! How was this one? I left it with a little cliffy to see how far over the edge I can hold you before you fall. Excited, bored, curious, confused? Tell me what you think!

Victor: O.o? Whoa…someone's hyper.

Alex: Yeah…I've been a little jumpy all day and I can't figure out why…

Victor: (_Smiles_.) _He he he_…

Alex: O.o…What?

Victor: Oh, nothing.

Alex: -.-…Seriously—what?

Victor: I said it was nothing.

Alex: Tell me! Would someone please tell me what he thinks is so funny?

Victor: (_Laughing_.)

Alex: (_Worried_.) I mean it—what is it!

Confused and worried,

Alexnandru Van Gordon,

and

Laughing evilly,

Victor Van Heiring


	7. Chapter seven: Few choices

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Alex: Err…sorry people. I forgot to tell you who Victor is…Well…for those of you who aren't reading my "Blast to the Supposed Past" Victor is my older cousin who some people believe is really my evil twin.

(_Smack_!)

Alex: (_Rubbing back of head, looks at Victor_.) Ow…what was that for? It's the truth.

Victor: I know. I was just proving your point about the whole "evil" thing I've got going.

Alex: O.o? Okay…But as I was saying, he just moved to Canada and hangs out at my house a lot since he came to Edmonton—not to mention he bleached my hair white when I pleaded him not to! (_Glaring at Victor_.) He's been trying to take over my stories, but so far it hasn't been going well for him. But I can't exactly kick him out of my house, seeing that I can't really get down into the basement without help because of my knee and that my mom likes having him and my aunt down a lot. Life just isn't fair sometimes…

Victor: Cheer up, preacher boy. Now that they know about us, let's get going with the next chapter.

Alex: Fine…Enjoy people! Since so many people are reading this, I guess I should update more often as I do with my other story. This is for you people!

DISCLAIMER: I've said this a thousand times before, but I'll say it again because I don't want to spend my life in prison—I DON'T OWN THEM!

CHAPTER SEVEN: Few choices

"That one?"

"Nope…"

"Oh…well then maybe the **1**?"

"I think we already tried that one."

"And the small envelope with the two blue arrows?"

"Let's check…darn! We're not getting anywhere…"

Starfire, having stood behind Beast Boy the entire time they search the main computer for the internet, slid down to the ground on her knees and rubbed her sore feet from standing so long. "Perhaps the **e**?"

"Fine…" He sighed, rubbing his sore eyes with one hand before moving the mouse across the hung screen to click on the **e**. He was just about to click when—

"_I need to speak to Robin."_

Beast Boy shrieked and fell back as the chair tipped over. Starfire had just enough time to move out of harm's way as the green changeling came crashing to the ground beside her. They didn't usually get personal calls on the main computer in case of an emergency. But wouldn't that then mean this was an emergency…?

"Ever heard of the phone before?" Beast Boy grumbled as he sat up on the floor and shook his head. "And what's with the late night call. We're busy."

"_On the floor?" _Batman said in his usual stern voice. _"Now would someone please get me Robin?"_

Beast Boy began to sweat and exchanged a worried side-glance with Starfire. She too knew what trouble they would be in if Batman found out that they lost the Dark Knight's son. They didn't even know if the Boy Wonder was still alive!

"May we ask why?" Starfire said in her sweet voice as she stood and helped Beast Boy to his feet. "We are currently working on an important case."

"_I'm calling to apologize for my rude behavior the last time we talked." _He explained with a weary sigh. _"I have evidence enough to prove this 'Slade' is still alive and kicking."_

"No kidding." Beast Boy muttered, subconsciously reaching up to his throat and rubbing it. When he changed out of his suit, he would be sure to find a lovely little ring of bruises around his neck.

"Robin is…" Starfire hesitated and scratched the back of head. "…currently out at the moment. We will deliver a message to him if that is what you desire."

"_No…Robin has to hear this from me. I've doubted his abilities as a leader and I think it would be a rather cruel punishment to take him back to Gotham so he can only fight crime there. The kid can handle himself and I have to apologize for ever thinking otherwise. Please. Just call him up on his communicator so I can let him know myself."_

"Err…" Beast Boy looked around and bit his lower lip before coming up with an idea. "He doesn't have his communicator on him because…I accidentally stepped on it. We'll get him to call you back as soon as he returns."

"_How's he supposed to contact you guys if he's in trouble?"_ Batman asked in his serious voice.

"Telepathy." Starfire chimed in, thinking up of a plan on her own. "While our friend Raven mediates in her room, she agreed to keep a mental tab on him. We will know immediately if anything is wrong."

"_Interesting…" _He said suspiciously, but Starfire could sometimes lie rather easily and that stopped his line of questions from berating them down. _"Very well. Tell him to call me when he gets back. If not, I'll call in an hour or so. Goodnight."_

The two heroes held their breath until the screen turned blank, and released the air with a heavy sigh. That was a close one. A little too close…

"Now what?" He murmured, picking up the chair and turning off the main computer. "The computer isn't any good and both Cy and Rave don't believe us."

"Perhaps it is time for another visit to the doctor Manning." Starfire suggested. "Do you know where his home is located?"

He shrugged. "Somewhere on the outskirts of the city. He inherited a lot of money from his parents so his lives in a mansion…a real successful kind of guy too…"

"Then let us go and see what else there is to know about this man." She said, taking his arm in her strong alien grip and running toward the garage. "I do not think Cyborg will miss his _'baby' _for one night."

Oh uh—trouble! He could imagine Cyborg strangling him the next morning…

"But Neither of us knows how to drive!" He exclaimed in fright, but Starfire continued to drag him away. "Can't we just fly!"

-S-

Slade watched as the boy took up his fighting stance and started with yet another corny opening statement. "What do you want, Slade? You came awfully far out of Jump City just to talk."

He shook his head with a sigh and his grip tightened on the boy's utility belt in his hand. "You're so foolish sometimes, Robin. Plain and simple—_I'm here to take you_."

"If you're referring to the old days before I really knew anything about you—not a chance."

"Apprenticeship isn't really all that hard." He stated simply and leaned back against the window with his arms crossed. "And quit acting like it was such a pain. I know you enjoy a good thrill…"

"Shut up so we can get to business. Are you just going to stand there and talk or are we going to fight?"

"Eager I see." Slade smiled. As much as he would want to fight the boy that could wait He needed to leave before Dr. Manning found out he was there or else trouble was sure to join them.

In one quick hand motion, he opened a compartment of the Boy Wonder's utility belt and took out the grappling hook. Then, before Robin could fathom what he was doing, Slade opened the window and placed a foot on the frame. Aiming the grappling hook at the surprised boy, he shot it and watched as the rope wound around Robin's mid-section. It secured into place as Robin struggled to undo the rope, but was unable to before Slade leapt out the window.

Landing neatly on the ground below the window, he gave a good tug on the rope and walked backwards as he pulled Robin toward the window. He could see Robin planting his feet against the window-cell to stay inside the house, but with another hard tug—

Hold on…

He gave another tug and the exact same thing happened. Robin hit some sort of invisible barrier with his shoulder and stood in a dizzy state before calling down to Slade. "Would you mind not doing that? You should have gotten the idea by now."

What was going on?

Dammit! That insane scientist was at it again. Slade should have known he would have put up some sort of barrier field to keep Robin inside. Otherwise, Robin would have probably been gone by now.

Now what?

Oh well. Seeing that Robin was locked inside the room, Slade could attack Jaze and then flee with the boy. If all else failed he could always try to blow a hole in the wall. After all, he did get inside with enough ease. It shouldn't be too hard to take something out.

Shaking his head, he released the rope and stormed back toward the opened window to the kitchen. First find Jaze—

—and then kill him!

-R-

What? Now where the heck was he going? Giving up so soon?

Not a chance.

Slade never gave up without a good fight (seeing that he despised losing) and that meant he wouldn't stop until he got Robin out of there.

Now that was a dilemma…Robin wanted to leave, but not with Slade. However, his only two choices were to either let the villain take him or have Jaze keep him prisoner here. It just didn't seem too fair from his standpoint in the game. And why was that?

"Damn people…" He muttered and pulled his grappling hook back up in through the window. It must have been only him that couldn't pass through the barrier. Made sense anyway…

Rolling up the rope, he sat down on his bed and began to think. Nothing he tried on the window would work, and he wasn't exactly going to get out through the door, then how exactly was he supposed to escape. His best bet would to get out with Slade and then somehow give him the slip out in the forest. It seemed unlikely that he could, but it was the only thing for him to do until he was free of Jaze. At least Slade didn't have mental tabs to keep him under control.

Maybe…

-St-

After Beast Boy's constant whining _not_ to take Cyborg's car, Starfire agreed that flying would be quicker. No traffic, no stoplights, and no laws against how fast you could go. Flying seemed to be the better choice after all.

It took them a while to find the mansion in the dense forest, but if you followed the road you could get there in no time soon. It was a lovely looking structure, but, upon closer inspection, some of the windows were shattered and one of the two front doors was broken open. It was obvious that some sort of war had gone on inside there. Either that or a band of thieves decided to raid the place in the middle of the night.

"Whoa…" Beast Boy whistled as he pushed the broken door opened with a finger. "Someone has to look into spring cleaning."

"But it is not summer?"

Beast Boy's ears drooped. "It's just a joke. You know? My horrible attempt to make someone laugh?"

"Oh…" She still didn't get it but let the conversation drop as they both stepped inside. It was pretty much close to pitch-black in the entrance but, after a while of tripping around, she found a _lamp_ and pulled the string switch.

"_Yikes!_" beast Boy squealed and jumped back a couple of feet from a fallen Slade-bot. "Looks like that creepy mummy dude isn't the only guy bugging the doctor."

"Slade is here…?" Starfire whispered. Perhaps that was why Robin had gone missing—he was chasing after Slade again.

"Well, let's divide and conquer." Beast Boy said after he stepped over two more robots to get to Starfire. "You look upstairs for the doctor and I'll check down here."

She nodded but remained confused. "But why would we want to divide and conquer Dr. Manning's home? Do we not care if he is alright?"

Beast Boy shook his head and dismissed the question with a wave of his weary hand as he transformed into a small mouse and scampered off into the darkness of a nearby room. Still baffled, Starfire headed up the stairs, wincing as one creaked beneath her feet at the top. That sound made her pause with her breath caught in her chest, but she mustered the courage to continue onward. This place reminded her of a haunted house at the carnival the night she saw Blackfire.

"Hello…?" She called out in a weak voice. "Dr. Manning?" Then she took a deep breath and shouted out louder. "Is there anybody in here!"

She waited…what was that?

There were two hallways to take and down one of them she heard a weak voice call back to her. It was either a _ghost_ like the ones from the stories she heard on earth, or it was the doctor.

She would take her chance as the doctor.

Levitating now, she floated down the hallway at a pretty fast pace and landed before a door. Someone was banging their fist against it. And then…the banging stopped. Oh… this _was_ just like a haunted house.

Shaking, she reached out her hand and grabbed the doorknob with her tiny hand. Then—

A fist came through the door and grabbed her own over the doorknob. Panicking, she screamed and wrenched her hand free.

"Starfire?"

She paused. Was that…

"ROBIN!" She exclaimed, grabbing the doorknob once he released it. Then, using her alien strength, she tore the door from its frame and threw it aside in the hallway. The moment she saw Robin, she stepped up to him and squished him in one of her loving hugs. "YOU ARE SAFE!"

"_I can't_…_breathe_…"

Oops.

She released Robin and put her hands on his shoulders to look him over. It appeared as though he had been in a fight or two while he was away, probably with Slade. But why was he locked up in Dr. Manning's house.

"What are you doing here?" She asked innocently. "And why did you not contact us?"

He shook his head and ran a hand through his short spiky hair. "Dr. Manning was the guy I fought at Wayne Enterprises the day of the presentation. He has these mental powers and…I don't know how to explain it. All I can say is I'm his prisoner here unless he lowers some sort of barrier he has over this place."

It took a moment for it to sink in, but she began to understand. "Then what of Slade?"

He shrugged. "He just showed up but left. He's inside the house again, so we have to watch out."

"Is he…" She winced at the thought. "…here for you?"

He nodded sadly and she sighed. "I know, Star. Things are pretty complicated…"

Complicated indeed.

"Perhaps you should explain everything to me from the start?" She suggested and he nodded. If he wanted help he would need someone who understood the situation he was in.

"Well…"

-A-

That's it for now people. I wouldn't want to spoil the next chapter for you, so I'm cutting this one a little short. All I can say is I hope you like it, which I think you do…I seem to be getting a lot of reviews and a tone of brownie points for good villain lines…Hmmm…Anyhow, I'll see you guys later.

You keep reading and I'll keep writing,

Alexnandru Van Gordon


	8. Chapter eight: Dilemma

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

WOW! Twelve reviews for this story in only a few days…that's the most I've ever received. For this honour, I would like to thank: **Aeris-Raven, rokikiro, Crazy Girl Person, Jaina 12, Remix17, Dark-Canine69, KaliAnn, PixieGirl13, Sabrina, Insanity 101**, and all you other readers for your reviews. You all just boosted my ego.

Also: If anybody here knows **Remix17**, and you like stories containing Slade, Robin and Red-X, I suggest you read his Identity Thief. I know I love it and I know a lot of you guys will too if you're into the whole _Apprentice_ theme. Oh, and if you are reading this, **Remix17**, I better get an update on your story soon. I'm bubbling with anticipation…or so to speak…I guess that's something a girl would say and I'm not a girl…Hmm, now I've reached a dilemma…

Well, enough of my jabbering! I came here to write, and you guys came to read…

DISCLAIMER: As if.

CHAPTER EIGHT: Dilemma

Being a mouse was a fun thing when you wanted to forget you were inside a dark, dreary house with absolutely no idea where anyone is. What if someone just jumped out from nowhere and scared the living day-lights out of you? Heh—sounded like something he would try to do on Cyborg or Raven. He'd never actually try to scare the 'un-scare-able' Robin or the sweet Starfire, but he liked to have his fun…And right about now, thinking of anything was better than focusing on that shadow in the corner that looked like a monster…

He crept over the body of another fallen Slade-bot and scurried down the long hall until he came across something interesting. Transforming back into his humanoid form, he stood by a door with a fist-sized hole in it just beside the doorknob. The reason he was interested was because it looked like something Robin would do.

There was a light on the other side of the door and so he lowered his head to get a peek inside. It must have been the basement because there was a wall in front of the door and stairs leading downward. He was almost tempted to go and grab Starfire, but that would make him look weak and afraid. Not that he wasn't, but he still had his pride.

Swallowing hard, he pulled the broken door opened and took a step down the stairs, gulping as he took another, and another, and another. Then—

_Creeeeeeeek_…

He froze…Damn! That wasn't this stair, was it? So much for the element of surprise. But when he thought about it, the sound seemed to come from behind him rather than from directly above him.

Almost entirely paralyzed, he turned his body at the hips to see who—or whatwas behind him. Now that he saw who it was, he kind of wished it had been a _what_. Anything would have been better than what he saw.

"_Slade_!" he squeaked, his voice suddenly lost. He didn't even have time to turn around when Slade reached out to grab him and caught him by the front of his uniform. He was lifted off the stairs and held easily in the air by only one of Slade's arm. The ice of that one cruel eye bore into him and seemed to scan his very soul, finding nothing worthwhile or interesting.

How could he have been so stupid! The guy's robots littered the ground! What made Beast Boy think Slade had left immediately! It was obvious he was here for a reason.

"I'm glad you remembered my name." Slade sighed, not looking too impressed with Beast Boy's feeble struggle. "But I don't have time for you. Perhaps I should have strangled you when I had the chance…"

Slade pulled Beast Boy closer, and the young hero could tell what he was going to do. However, before Slade could throw him down the rest of the stairs, Beast Boy transformed into a lovely little tarantula and skittered up his arm to the elbow. Slade paused and stared at him, apparently not expecting that. Beast Boy didn't either and he had no idea why he didn't do that the last time Slade dropped by to say hello. Would have saved him a lot of oxygen and would have spared him the bruises…

He skittered further up Slade's arm and was aiming for the man's shoulder as Slade flung his arm up and down to shake Beast Boy off. Somehow he held tight and made it to his destination. Then, lifting his fangs, drooling with venom—Slade ceased his movement and simply flicked Beast Boy off.

Now flying, Beast Boy went falling down the stairs and transformed back into his normal self after a long dizzy pause. He sat on the cold floor of the basement and rubbed the back of his head as Slade stepped over him and ignored him entirely. What was with that? Didn't Slade want to collect Robin, destroy the Titans, and dominate the world…or something along the line of that. Why didn't he just take Beast Boy down while he was defenseless? It wasn't like he could put up much of a fight anyway…

Shaking his head, Beast Boy stared at the maniac for a long while as the man just stood there in the dark…Dark. The lights were out and that meant whoever was down here before knew that they were there. Slade was probably upset about that, but so was Beast Boy. If the person was Robin, he could have run, and if it was someone else…Let's just say Beast Boy wasn't in a good mood for anymore surprise attacks, seeing that his own had failed horribly.

"_Looking for someone, Slade?"_

Beast Boy covered his mouth with a hand before he could squeak. Slade was standing with his back to Beast Boy, staring into the darkness at two glowing red eyes. This was the guy Robin had been talking about. This was the guy that either kidnapped or murdered Robin…

Not quite knowing what to do at the moment, Beast Boy decided his best option was to stay unknown by simply sitting there in silent.

"Oh, I've found him…" Slade hissed, reaching to his belt and pulling out his Bo-staff. It extended quickly, but Slade didn't take up his fighting stance. "And I would appreciate it if you'd let him go."

"_So you're here for the kid?" _The mysterious man laughed in the darkness. _"I'm jealous. Here I was thinking that you and I would catch up on old times with a little battle. Too bad…"_

"Perhaps another day." Slade promised in his regular, creepy voice. "I have a tight schedule to keep and I'm sure we can fight some other time. I really must be going."

"_Then it will have to be alone, Slade. I'm not letting Robin go and you can't take him without me allowing you to. Seeing that that won't be happening any time soon—"_

"Or unless you are unconscious."

There was a pause. _"You're smarter than what I give you credit for, Slade—I give you that much—but you are also very arrogant. What a selfish man you are, taking something—or **someone** in this case—that isn't your own. Did you ever ask him nicely to come with you?"_

"I think he'd go so far as kick and scream if I had to drag him off. The question is: did _you_ ever ask him nicely to come with you?"

Another pause.

Slade laughed. "I think we should end this with something of a small fight, a teaser of the battle we'll someday end this dispute with. If that fair enough for you?"

"_Winner gets the kid for now."_

"Deal."

Beast Boy couldn't believe his ears. First off—Robin wasn't exactly something you could trade around.

Beast Boy almost laughed. It would have been something to see the look on Robin's face if he ever heard this conversation. He'd probably burst a vein to know he was being treated like a possession rather than a human being. Blackmailed, kidnapped, beaten…wow. Robin really wasn't having a good week, especially with Batman waiting for his reply—

Oh no! Batman!

Beast Boy jumped to his feet just as Slade stepped further into the darkness and his figure disappeared. Beast Boy could hear them fighting, hearing grunts from a taken blow or a nicely delivered one, and smacks from Slade's staff as it either connected with his enemy or the floor. As much as Beast wanted Slade to lose, he didn't want to meet this new guy and that was why he ran back up the stairs and slammed the basement door behind him once he made it into the hall. He had to find Starfire and Robin—and he had to find them quick!

-R-

He watched the confused expression on her face as she slowly nodded up and down, looking up at the ceiling as she tried to understand all that he told her. He knew she got the just of it and that would have to do for now.

"So Jaze is Dr. manning, and Dr. Manning's son died." She repeated, basically summarizing a chunk of his story. "And because h is lonely, he kidnapped you?"

"So he says." Robin sighed. "He's insane, so I guess that answer is as good as any. For him, that must seem like a solid solution."

She nodded again, this time seeming to comprehend it better than before. "Even I am lonely on earth, but at least I have you. It makes sense for someone with a spirit to search out another person to defeat loneliness. Is it not a terrible thing to be isolated?"

Torture! That's why he was so happy to see her…

"Yeah…but some people can live with it…"

His mind drifted to Batman for a moment and he thought about how the man was doing. As long as no one mentioned to him that Robin was kidnapped, Batman wouldn't bother him about the whole Slade incident. Speaking of which…

"You didn't happen to see Slade in here, did you?" He asked. Obviously not, seeing that she was taking her time to sit here and listen to him talk.

She shook her head. "Beast Boy and I came across his robots, but I have seen no sign of Slade otherwise. I do not believe he is here anymore."

"Beast Boy came with you?" He asked, somewhat surprised. Well, it was nice to know at least two of his friend came along to save him. What about Cyborg and Raven…Either they were fighting crime, or they had enough faith in Robin to let him get out of trouble on his own. He would have to _check-in_ on that when he got back.

"Indeed, Beast Boy accompanied me. We tried to find information on the man who has captured you, but the _'putter of com' _does not speak your common language.

Oh yeah…that. He would have to do something about it later.

"Well, let's find Beast Boy and get out of here."

She smiled and located out the door after him. The walk in the building was dark and quiet, but nothing seemed wrong at the moment. Once he got downstairs, he noticed the front door was left ajar….Maybe…

"ROBIN!"

He just about had a heart attack when Beast Boy came colliding with him, knocking him straight off his feet with a brutal hug.

"YOU LIVE!"

"Thanks…Beast Boy…" He choked, and stood when Starfire offered a hand to either of them. He brushed himself off and grinned, not quite knowing what to say. "Ready to go/"

He didn't actually know if he could leave, but it never hurt to try. He never did give the front door a try after finding it locked. Now it was wide opened.

Praying that he would find a barrier like he did with the windows, Robin walked over to the door with his friends and waited for them to step through before he gave it a test. Giving himself a moment to think, he shot his hand forward out the door and—

...Nothing stopped him.

"Dude, what's wrong?" Beast Boy asked, giving him an odd look. He didn't know the story Robin told Starfire. "We should get out of her and get Cyborg and Raven to check this place out. I saw Slade in the basement and some other guy with glowing red eyes…"

"You did?" Robin asked. He wasn't too surprise because he already knew Slade was there, but he could only imagine what would happen if Slade and Jazz finally got a chance to battle…That would be something to see.

"Yeah, and Slade came looking for you at T-tower, man. I can only imagine what that guy's up to."

"Nothing good, that's for sure…" Robin muttered. He was fighting the urge to check out the battle and possibly get a few of his own hits in. But no…if both Slade and Jazz were after him, they might do so much as team up against him to ensure his second imprisonment.

He shook his head and smiled at them. "Let's just get out of here and…what are you staring at?"

Beast Boy was wide-eyed and Starfire was frowning, both gazing over Robin's shoulder at someone. And when he turned around he really regretted hesitating at the door to leave. If he hadn't just stood around to talk, he'd probably be gone by now.

"Hello again, Robin."

"Sl—"

Not allowing him to finish his sentences, Slade tossed something that looked like a smoke grenade to Robin. Baffled, Robin couldn't believe that he caught the bomb, dropping it just as a cloud of smoke erupted from the small sphere. Coughing and hacking, both he and his friends couldn't see a thing, let alone find the right air to breath. Robin tried to step backwards to stand with his friends, but Slade was a step ahead of him. Unable to see, Robin felt someone grab his around the waist from behind and start off running off through the cloud of smoke.

Kidnapped a second time?

Not again….

-A-

Hehehe. Now Robins reached a dilemma—out of the frying pan and into the oven. Just wait until you see what I'm going to do with this. I'm going to have a lot of fun now…

You can kind of guess what happened in the battle, eh? Jazz is KO'd, but not for long, because… (I'm just going to give you a teaser)…he still has to meet Starfire and Beast Boy. Just wait and see what happens then! Ooooooh—this is going to be so much fun. And by the way, thanks again for reviewing this you guys. You really make my day.


	9. Chapter nine: Very odd

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Seeing that a lot of people like this, I decided to be nice and update—ASAP. I hope that makes you happy and no—I did not forget anybody. I just tend to ignore them in the text for a while until _you_ forget about them so that I can give you a pleasant surprise! Aren't you happy?...Okay, let's just get on with story—and no, Victor is not Victor Stone, Cyborg off of Teen Titans. Victor is my cousin's nickname because that is what he would have been named if his name wasn't already "". Sorry can't tell you. But my name would have been Alexnandru or Eric if it wasn't Robin. Weird, eh? I have the same name as good old Boy Wonder, but that's not why I write about him. I just happen to like his character.

DISCLAIMER: Not in a million years.

CHAPTER NINE: Very odd…

As soon as he was charged up, Cyborg made his way into the main room to grab something to drink and find his companions. Raven was in her room meditating, what else was new, but after going through the entire tower in search of them, he found nothing. Nadda…

_This can't be good._ He thought to himself, calling out for them once more in the main room. After a long silent reply, he finally decided it was time to search outside or on the roof. He was about to leave too when the large screen blinked on and none other than the Dark Knight stared down at him.

"Ummm…can I help you?" He asked, not quite sure what to say to one of the world's top heroes. This guy was Robin's subrogate father after all, and if Boy Wonder could do a number on a villain, watch out for his teacher.

"_I told the alien girl and the changeling I would call in an hour if Robin didn't send me a reply." _ Batman said in his serious voice, not sounding too happy. _"Where is he?"_

"You mean they didn't tell you?" Cyborg asked, and then suddenly regretting saying anything. If Batman found out what happened to Robin…

Batman's masked indicated he was frowning. _"Tell me what, exactly?"_

_Think fast—think fast—think—think-fast—_

"We forced him to take the day off."

Batman didn't say anything right away, but instead looked Cyborg over. _"He's not the type to agree to a vacation…"_

"That's why we sent him off." Cyborg lied, trying to put on an average face. "He wasn't too jumpy at the idea either at first, but we have Raven watching him to make sure he doesn't go Kung-fu on any criminals while he's supposed to be relaxing."

"_The green one and the girl told me he broke his communicator and that the **Raven **was keeping a mental tab on his in case he needed help. Is it just me, or are you both lying…?"_

Trust Beast Boy to screw things up.

"Robin probably told them to say that if you called." Cyborg said with a straight face. "I guess he would feel ashamed if you knew he wasn't doing his job twenty-four seven."

Now Batman was looking suspicious again. _"I don't know how many times I suggested he take time off and he ignored me. Why would he suddenly listen to you?"_

"We threatened to demote him from leader and assign Raven his job."

Good thinking…

"_That would scare anyone…I guess that sounds plausible, but your story better stay the same the next time I call."_

Cyborg froze. "And when would that be?"

"_In an hour. That should give you enough time to call him down so we can talk. Otherwise, you can be sure to see me in a short while…"_

He mentally gulped and nodded his head. "Yes, sir. You'll be sure to hear from him then!"

"_Good."_

The screen went blank and Cyborg just stood there for a second before he started to sweat. Maybe if he hadn't been so low on his battery before, he probably would have found Robin by now. And where the heck were Beast Boy and Starfire? They didn't try to go out and find him on their own…did they?

Just great! Not that they weren't bad at being heroes but…Beast Boy was prone to make mistakes and Starfire was still too native to earth to know enough to survive on her own out there. The two of them were just praying for trouble.

Why couldn't they just stay in the tower?

-S-

Grabbing him was one thing, but keeping a hold on him was an entirely different story. Boy Wonder wouldn't stop struggling even to save his life. Not to mention he was blinded and partially suffocating from the smoke. He was quite the determined fighter.

With the help of his mask, Slade found his way out of the smoke rather easily, but the cloud spread toward the forest surrounding the estate. It was lucky for him, though, that he made it all the way to the forest without losing hold over Robin, because the moment Robin could see again he almost slipped out of his grasp. Slade, however, had foreseen just about anything the boy would attempt and simply rammed Robin up against a tree with his back to the trunk. Then, reaching to his belt, he took out a white cloth covered in chloroform and held it firmly against Boy Wonder's mouth and nose. Robin thrashed about, as was expected, but no one can stay awake with chloroform. In a minute or so of fighting Robin to hold still, the boy finally began to grow weaker until he was unconscious.

Now that that was over…

Slade grabbed him and tossed the boy over his shoulder, glancing once back at the manor to see if any of Boy Wonder's friends somehow escaped the smoke and managed to follow him. As expected—no. They were probably still coughing their lungs up as they stumbled on the stairs. And Jaze…

Slade would have to hurry before Jaze woke up. The man might be easy to defeat if he left his head unguarded for a moment too soon, but the bloody man woke fast and moved even quicker. He would be on Slade's tracks in a heartbeat.

Shaking his head, he tossed his captive higher on his shoulder to keep his balance, and dashed off into the dense forest. It would take a while by foot, but he could handle it without breaking a sweat…as long as Boy Wonder didn't wake sooner than what he wanted him to…

-J-

He woke with a throbbing headache, cussing in Ukrainian out of his frustration. He was bake in his normal human state and he had a bloody nose, one of the fist wounds he received when Slade pulled out that damn staff of his. Touching it gingerly, he sat on his knees until his head stopped spinning and finally somehow made it to his feet. Then, sure he could walk on his own, transformed back into his mummified self and the pain was cut in half. He could walk as causally as he did before, but there was still an ache on his right side of his skull where Slade's Bo-staff came down on him with an awful _crack!_

Making it up the basement stairs, the first was the first thing he noticed. He coughed and waved a hand in front of his face as he made his way through the fading cloud and found himself at the front door. Then—

_Smack!_

"Ow! Watch where you're going Star…Star?"

Jaze stood with his arms crossed as the boy turned around and stared up at Jaze, instantly trying to run. Jaze, however, caught him by the back of his belt and pulled him back to where he stood before he could bolt out the front door. He obviously wasn't the only one there, and Jaze could see that when a tall redhead girl watched the two from the doorway with an utterly confused look on her face.

"Oh—good evening, Dr. Manning."

He did a double take there and narrowed his eyes in suspicion, still holding on to the little green freak as he squirmed around to free himself. "How do you know my real name?"

She smiled with a bubbling look on her face. "Robin told me."

"Speaking of which…" Jaze looked over his shoulder and scanned the front entrance. "Where is he anyway?"

The smile on the girl's face disappeared instantly and her shoulders drooped sadly. "We believe Slade has taken him."

Well, wasn't that just dandy?

Releasing the green boy, he walked past the cool into the brisk cool air and started down the stairs. Knowing Slade, the maniac probably took the forest route, and that meant Jaze would still have time to catch up to him before he reached the city. He was about to head off toward the surrounding forest when a gentle hand grabbed his arm and turned him around with an amazing force.

"Please, will you not help us find Robin?"

He eyed the girl for a moment before gently pulling his arm free. "I go solo, little lady, and besides—Robin's mine. I can't have you taking him after we find him, now can I?"

"What is wrong with you people!" The green one exclaimed, now standing next to the girl. "Sheesh—Robin ain't some toy you can trade or lock up in your cabinet, you know! Everyone has human rights, dude."

"_Dude_?" He did a double take on that too. "Did you just call me dude, you little green Martian?"

"Did you just call me a little green Martian?"

"Yes. Would you rather me call you relish?"

"_Relish_!"

"Yes… I think that will do just nicely for you."

"_Relish_!"

The girl called Star stepped in the way of her friend just as he rolled up his sleeves and started marching toward Jaze down the stairs. "Please, friend Beast Boy." She implored him. "We need his help to recover Robin."

"But he's going to take Robin away from us anyway!" Relish argued.

The girl nodded sadly. "That I know, Beast Boy. But would you rather leave him in the cold-hearted grasp of Slade?"

That seemed to shut Relish—or "Beast Boy" as the girl called him—up for the most part. They both stared at the ground in an awkward moment of silent before their gaze fell on Jaze. He had to say, they were a determined bunch.

"You know, she's right." Jaze pointed out to Beast Boy. "I might be insane, but I haven't hurt a hair on Robin's head since I held him prisoner in my home. We've had a fight or two in the beginning, but I don't want to cause any physical harm to the boy. Too bad I can't say the same for Slade…"

Too bad, indeed. Slade was one screwed up crayola marker.

"I guess…" Beast Boy finally agreed. "But you have to stop calling me Relish."

"In a while, _Relish_."

-A-

_Ahhhhhhhhhh_! Another short chapter! Sorry you guys, but I had to cut it here to make the next one exciting. I hope this one was exciting for you…but think what you want to. It took me longer to update on this one because I added another chapter to my "Blast to the Supposed Past" series and I started "Slade's Tale." I actually wrote _Slade's Tale_, because at least ninety percent of my reviews say that you guys think Slade is one of the best villains. Well, here's a really early Christmas gift. If you start reading it, I hope you like it.

_Until next time,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	10. Chapter ten: Another problem

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

SIDENOTE: I think I have something wrong with my eyes. I was requested by **DigiDestined of Courage **to read one of his/her stories, the one with the return of Red-X, but every time the page came up, I just couldn't read it. The writing was fine—excellent, actually, but it was just having it all in italic that really did a number on my eyes. I didn't even get to the end of the first chapter to send a review before I had to take a break. Sorry, ma'am/sir, but I'll have to read it another time. I will get to it and any other story you people ask me to read—I just hope they aren't entirely written in Italic. I can read italic, but not a lot all at once. Please forgive, my friend, and I will return to your story soon. I love Red-X's character! Especially in **Remix17**'s "Identity Thief" which I still suggest you people read. It is brilliant…I like reading, so don't be shy to ask me to read something.

Onward!

DISCLAIMER: Heh…yeah right.

CHAPTER TEN: Another problem

Raven enjoyed when no one bugged her during meditation, and she ended up feeling refreshed when she left her room. In that instant, her communicator and Cyborg stared at her from the other end.

"Problem?" She asked in her monotone voice.

"_Eh…I just wanted to call and say that I went out to look for Starfire and Beast Boy who are looking for Robin. I don't know how long this will take or where to look, but keep tabs on the city and call me up if anything happens."_

"Got that." She sighed and returned her communicator to its place as she entered the main room. It was just her luck that someone else popped up on the screen—

Whoa—was that the Dark Knight?

"Can I help you?" She asked, not quite believing the fact that Batman would ever need their help.

"_It's been an hour."_

There was a long pause until she shrugged and shook her head. "An hour since what?"

"_Since I was supposed to speak with Robin."_

"He's not here."

"_I know that—Where is he?"_

Raven so no point in lying.

"He's currently MIA."

"_Missing in Action?"_

"That's right."

"_Since when?"_

She thought about that for a moment. "For a coupe of days—the day after we called you. We've been searching for him since then."

"_Now this is an entirely different story from the two your teammates told me. Call them up and tell them that I'm coming down to help in the search."_

Oh…now she saw her mistake.

"That won't be necessary."

He stopped himself from turning off his screen and stared at her with those scary white eyes. _"Excuse me?"_

"This is the new training." She said simply, finding it so easy to lie. "He and I talked about it a while back and we decided to see how the team would hold together if he went missing. I'm the only one who knows about the testing and that is why the others feel like they need to lie."

"_And you expect me to believe this because…?"_

"I'm not saying that you have to. Actually—I think you should come down."

His mask signaled that he raised an eyebrow. _"And why exactly should I do that?"_

She was getting better at this.

"Because we'll have completed the task by time you get here—guaranteed. I guess you could say that this is the chance for us to show you what we kids are really capable of."

"_I'm coming down, alright, and I expect to see Robin waiting at the front door. If not…"_

"We fail, I know." She sighed. "But we won't."

"_Very well—I'll see you soon."_

The screen went blank and she sat/fell onto the couch. What was with that? Now they were in trouble if they didn't have Robin back here in time. And who knew how long it would take Batman to fly down here. From the stories Robin told, Batman had something of a need for speed…

Picking up her communicator, she called up Cyborg and held the speaker to her mouth.

"We've got another problem…"

-J-

"Relish."

"Dude."

"_Relish_."

"_Dude_."

"Re—"

"MUSTARD!"

Both Jaze and Beast Boy paused. Being the two in the front of the line, they turned around and gazed at Starfire through the trees. She was smiling, humming some sort of jingle. Boy was she a bubbly kid…

"What about mustard?" Jaze asked, not quite understanding the purpose of her outburst.

"You keep speaking of relish and it reminds me of _mustard_…" She said the last word in a dreamy king of tone, eyes looking up at the lightening sky as she continued humming.

"She drinks mustard." Beast Boy explained as they continued onward.

"Ew." Jaze said and took one last gaze over his shoulder at Starfire. "That stuff can't be good for you, little lady."

"But it is so delicious!" She chimed and started humming again.

Well, as long as she didn't start drinking any in front of him. Mustard…Robin had a weird bunch of friends…

He was new to the forest, having only lived in Jump City for a week or so, but he could track someone by his or her thoughts. Very faintly he could hear Slade's…almost to the point where he could be mistaking the noises with the sound of the wind in the leaves of the branches. That was how it had always been when he tried to get inside Slade's head, and that was the reason why he lost that battle back in the basement. While he was trying to find an entrance to Slade's brain, Slade took advantage of his pause and hit him unconscious.

Cheater…

"So…do you know Slade?" Beast Boy asked. Jaze didn't like thinking about it, but why not tell somebody?

"I knew him when I was younger, just starting my career as a scientist." He explained and tried to think about it. "Slade is a man with big plans for the world and he still is. He wanted us to make him a machine that would enable him to enter a person's mind. In doing so he could read, destroy, or create new memories—a dangerous tool when you think about it. I know I wouldn't want someone like him screwing with my mind."

"No kidding…" The green one nodded and Jaze continued.

"I was one of my colleges that was kidnapped by him and locked up to create this machine. When we had all the information completed, he sent some of his robots to kill us. My colleges gave me the information and I fled to hide it from him, but it seems he had a nack for stealing things of great importance to others…"

"Like friends…"The boy muttered and Starfire stopped her humming. It was obvious they had run into Slade a number of times before and this wasn't the first time Robin was his target.

"So…" He slowed down the pace a notch when he noticed how tired they were. "A question for a question?"

Starfire sighed and nodded. "Fair is fair."

"Why does Slade want Robin?"

They both paused and looked up at him. Boy, it must have been something awful for him to get a look like that from them. It was apparent that he wasn't the only bothered by past memories.

He stopped and stared at them when he didn't get an answer. The girl stood while Beast Boy sat down on a log, both looking as melancholy as ever.

"Slade wants Robin because…" The alien girl rubbed the back of her head and thought about it for a moment. "Because he believes he is the perfect apprentice."

Jaze hummed in thought and pondered about the matter. When he went inside Robin's min he should have seen that, but instead the child blocked him out from that set of memories even though Jaze was practically tearing him apart. Robin was, in fact, stronger than what he gave him credit for—mentally as well as physically.

"He has a strong mind like Slade." Jaze muttered and Starfire heard him.

"Please do not compare the two." She murmured and her shoulders slouched. "They are not alike."

"But when you look at it—"

"Please!" She yelled and that surprised him, but then she was her quiet shy self again. "Robin has friends and he always seeks to do what is right over what is wrong. He sacrifices himself for others, and that is why he became Slade's apprentice in the first place…because our lives were on the line…"

Whoa—how could he miss that as well? Boy Wonder was stronger…He really was like Slade, but he _wasn't_ like Slade.

Did that make any sense to you?

Great, now he pitied the kid. Not only was his conscience kicking in, but also now he wasn't so sure he would keep Robin captive after he stole him back. Robin knew how it felt to lose someone dear to him, and he battled his entire life to right the wrongs of evil people. Jaze lost family and he fought…but for the wrong causes and he wasn't as strong as Robin to think about others before himself. Jaze knew how heartless Slade was, and for a kid that was half his age to go under his apprenticeship just to save a couple of lives…

How selfless…

"We should probably keep moving if we want to catch Slade before he reaches the city." Jaze said softly and they started off again. Maybe he was being too hard on the kid…

The important thing now was that they had to find him before Slade got away.

-R-

Waking up hurt. His head felt heavy and his mouth tasted as though he had been sucking on a penny for the last hour. Where was he and why was it getting lighter outside.

Somehow he suppressed a moan as he was bounced up and down gently, speeding past trees faster than he ever ran. He was held over someone's shoulder and they were…

Wait! This was Slade.

He didn't know is he was more shocked at that sudden change of captors, or furious at the fact that he was kidnapped only seconds after he was freed. Things didn't seen to be going his way lately, and so far this little event took first prize for being the worst.

Slade slowed as he took a turn in the forest and that was when Robin decided to act.

Not knowing that Robin was awake, Slade didn't hold on to him too tightly. That made it easier for Robin when he suddenly straightened and grabbed a high branch, pulling himself up out of Slade's grasp before the villain realized what had happened. He stood up on the branch and was about to jump to another branch when Slade suddenly spun around, jumped up, and landed perfectly on the same branch, nearer to the trunk, as Robin. It shook, but Robin kept his feeting—that is, of course, until Slade lunged at him and grabbed him around the arms and chest. They came plummeting to the ground with Robin on the bottom and that knocked the wind out of him.

Slade stood off of him and Robin grabbed his stomach as he rolled over onto one side. That really hurt and he was lost at breath.

"I've got you, Robin." Slade said as he grabbed Robin hard on the right arm and pulled him up to his feet. "And I intend to keep you…"

-A-

Another chapter—yeah! But I have to go before my show is on. I'll see you guys soon, and please don't forget to update your own stories!

_Vale, amici!_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	11. Chapter eleven: Hurry

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

I am so addicted to writing that I barely wait for reviews to come in before I start writing again. But thanks for your reviews—I've reached my goal of seventy-five for this month and I hope to get more. Thanks again for being so loyal, you people, and I will get to new chapters for my other stories too. And I don't now when this story will end…I've got a lot to still write about…

By the way: _Vale, amici!_ Is Latin for: _Goodbye, friends!_ Unless you are my enemies…hmmm…

DISCLAIMER: Let me think about that…Nope.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Hurry

"_I've got you, Robin."_ Slade said as he grabbed Robin hard on the right arm and pulled him up to his feet. _"And I intend to keep you…"_

Besides being winded, Robin had no other real aches and pains to worry about. Oh well…if he was going to be re-captured, he'd might as well go down with a fight.

Robin wretched his arm feet with a hard tug and quickly kneeled down, attempting a swipe kick at Slade's legs. Slade was familiar with this and jumped back a foot or so, giving Robin enough time to stand and plant a side-kick on his chest. Slade stumbled back with a soft grunt, but his chest armor protected him from the most of the blow and he had time to try a kick of his own before Robin knew it was coming. As light as he was, Robin was sent flying back a good couple of feet and hit a tree trunk with his back. Grunting, his back arched backward as he fell forward onto his knees, winded again from the brutal blow. Coughing, he rolled aside just in time to avoid Slade's kick to his head.

Leg still in the air, Slade decided to turn it into an axe-kick and brought the heel down diagonally toward Robin's back. Robin rolled again and this time made it to his feet, putting up his fists to block the next three kicks Slade sent at him. Successfully living through that attack, he through a couple of punches but was caught around the waist during his fourth one. Slade threw him into a tree and suddenly he saw stars…

"You're only making this harder for yourself." Slade said in his cold, smooth voice, stalking closer toward Robin. "You know you can't win."

No—he could. It was just all these damn trees…

Robin stood again and was about to reach for his Bo-staff when…where was his belt?

"Looking for something?" Slade asked, knowing exactly what Robin needed.

That's right…Slade took it from him when he broke into Jaze's house and slammed him into the window a number of times. It wasn't the best of his memories, but it brought up the question of where Slade put it.

"Where is it?" Robin asked in a warning voice. He really didn't like fighting Slade while he was unarmed.

"I dropped it on the way here." Slade said simply, still looming closer to Robin. "It can't really help you anyway.'

Cheating, Slade whipped out his own Bo-Staff and swung it at Robin before he knew it was coming. The staff somehow made it under his left arm when he held it up to block a frontal attack, and knocked him hard in the ribs. The blow sent him flying to the side and he ended up landing on his hip on a root protruding from the ground. Pain seared in both his chest and side, and not to mention his head from the chloroform. He was still a little dizzy from that.

Rolling onto his back, he placed his hand on the ground beside him and sat up weakly—yelling out in agony as a new sharp pain stretched through-out his ribcage on the left side of his body. One, two—maybe even more ribs were broken. It wasn't the first time he had such an injury, but there wasn't much he could do with a broken rib. He had to be careful how he moved; least the rib stabbed one of his organs.

"Hit a little too hard?" Slade laughed. "I honestly thought you could take more."

"I honestly didn't think you'd go so low as to use chloroform." Robin muttered and somehow managed to stand, despite the agonizing pain. "I'm not exactly awake yet."

"Good—" And, without any warning whatsoever, Slade's staff came into contact with the side of his head and knocked him back down to the ground. Stars danced across Robin's vision as he slowly began to blackout, but not before he heard. "I don't think you'll ever wake from this nightmare, Robin…"

-B-

"No…I think it's stupid."

"But meat is so delicious."

"Not if you know what it's like to be one of those creatures."

"Still, I like chicken…tastes like frog legs."

"Dude, don't you mean frog legs taste like chicken?"

"Same thing."

"But—"

_Beep! Beep!_

Beast Boy halted and took his communicator from his belt. Switching it on, he came face-to-face with a none-too-happy Cyborg.

"Ummm…Hi, Cy." Beast Boy said with a hand rubbing the back of his neck. "What's up?"

"_What's up? Finding you guys—that's what! If looking for Robin wasn't enough, now I've got to baby-sit you two!"_

"Relax, friend Cyborg." Starfire sighed, now standing behind Beast Boy so she could stare over his shoulder at their companion. "We are chasing him down now."

"_You've found him? Why is he running?"_

Beast Boy began to sweat. "He isn't exactly the one doing all the running. You see, first Jaze had him, and then Slade came along…"

"_Should have known…"_ Cyborg grumbled, seeming to lose his anger at the two of them and instead focusing it on their old time enemy. _"Batman called—he's going to be in Jump City soon because he needs to speak with Robin."_

What? He was coming to Jump City!

"Dude—we can't have that happening!" He exclaimed, panicking now as he imagined what the Dark Knight would do to them when they couldn't get Robin. "That guy is gonna eat us alive!"

"_He's human, BB. He's not going to eat us."_

"But still!"

Jaze decided to make his presence known right then and laughed all of a sudden. He took the communicator gently from Beast Boy and stared at Cyborg.

"_Whoa!_" Cyborg yelped, not quite expecting to see him. _"Starfire wasn't lying when she told us about you. You're…"_

"Jaze." He said, introducing himself with a bored sigh. "And relaxing before you short-circuit something. I'm here with your friends and I'll help them track down Slade, so just keep daddy busy and I'll bring back his son—got it?"

There was a long pause…

"_What about you and Robin? Weren't you the one who attacked him in the first place? None of this would have happened if you kept your nose out of our business."_

"Trust me, fool." Jaze hissed, red eyes glowing brighter for a moment. "Believe me when I say, you'd much rather have Robin in my hands than Slade's. Unless Robin enjoys his company with the madman…"

"_I get the picture…Just hurry. Batman has a record for arriving at events early."_

"This task is as good as done."

He shut the communicator off then immediately and tossed it back to Beast Boy, turning and heading back off into the forest. "If I'm right, Slade should be on the outskirts of the city right about now. If we hurry, maybe we can make it to him in time before I lose his thoughts in the sounds of everyone else's."

"How long will that take?" Starfire asked with a concerned voice, levitating after him as Beast Boy followed with sore feet.

"If we hurry—fifteen minutes."

-S-

Not wanting to risk another struggle from Robin, Slade tied him up around the wrists and ankles, gagging him and held him in his arms as he continued to run. If he made it to the city in time, he could possibly avoid meeting up with Jaze. The man had some sort of built-in tracking system that drove Slade nuts. But as long as he was around a few other people, Jaze wouldn't be able to pick his thoughts out from the rest of the crowd.

There!

He came to a large road that was nearly deserted save for the additional car every couple of seconds. Across the street was an old opera house, this being one of the first communities ever built in Jump City. The rest of the city stretched toward the shore and down the hill from this place rather than expanding around this point and making it down town. All in all, this area was a quiet, almost crime free area and had few people living there. It was one of those—everyone knows everyone communities.

The perfect place to hide.

The opera house was still opened and attracted a lot of people for its shows, one of the best places to be with all the thoughts going on in people's minds as they listened and watched the performers. Slade could easily hide out in there and not get caught by Jaze unless he used the old fashion method of searching.

Looking in every crack and cranny.

Smiling behind his mask, he lifted Robin over his shoulder and pulled out his grappling hook, dashing across the street once the coast was clear. Then, now standing behind the tall building, he shot the grappling hook up at the roof and climbed to the top in a flash. Once up there, he rolled up the grappling hook, returned it to his belt, and headed for the fire escape. It was going to be day soon and he hadn't the slightest idea why an opera was going on so late, but…this was Jump City. It was a weird little city with heroes and villains.

Anyone ever take a good look at Mad Mob and his ideas?

Thought so.

Closing the door behind him, he gazed around in the darkness, standing a top one of the catwalks behind the actual stage. Down below, tired people were scrambling around as they prepared for the final scene, none of them noticing Slade—

"Hey? Who are you?"

Slade's head turned sharply to the right, staring at one of the men who was in charge of changing the backgrounds of the scenes. He was working some sort of machinery to lower and raise the sheets. Allowing no time for the man to speak again or run, Slade brought up his leg and planted a successful side-kick to the man's face. It knocked him unconscious immediately and sent him flying back across the catwalk.

Surprisingly enough, no one else seemed to notice him.

Turning to his left, he started down the catwalk, still holding Robin, and made his way down a narrow set of spiraling stairs which led to a dark hallway which passed directly behind the stage and down to the dressing rooms. Slade waited until someone called for the next act as people passed him by, not seeing him in the shadows. Then, when the hallway was clear, he ran down it to the end and came to the dressing rooms. Finding one that was dark and unoccupied, Slade opened the door and locked it behind him, safe from Jaze for a time being.

A streak of light entered the room from a crack under the door and revealed that this was really one of the storage rooms. Lines of costumes and isles of shelves with props filled the room. He walked slowly between two shelves and made his way to the far back of the room where there were a few chairs to sit down. Placing Robin on one of these, he tied him to the chair and sat down in the one beside him. As soon as the opera was over the people would leave and so would Slade.

But until then, all he could do was wait.

-A-

I have the stomach flu again…so tired…dying…Well, I'm not exactly dying, but I feel really weird. I want to eat something, but whenever I go to eat something, I suddenly don't like the food anymore and feel not so very hungry. Then the cycle continues…Like I said before in one of my other stories—I'd rather have a broken arm than a stomach flu. I'm starving…

Well, I hope this satisfies you for now, because I'm still tired from writing chapter four to _Slade's Tale_. That was the longest chapter I ever wrote for any story I ever posted on this sight…Sigh…I've got something interesting planned for the upcoming chapters so don't think I'm losing ideas. I have to get started on the _Apprentice _chapters for _Slade's Tale_, because if _Masks_ took me twenty four pages to write from Slade's POV, wait until I do the season one finale that is a two episoder….

_Waving farewell for now,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	12. Chapter twelve: Found

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Hello, folks! Sorry I've been gone for so long, but it's Easter and I've been to church all day Friday and Saturday (I'm Ukrainian Catholic so we do the whole blessing of the food and fasting…). So, I'm ever so sorry for keeping you guys waiting I'm a little sad because I killed off my OC in my other story and I miss her…sniff…Oh well. I always had it written down that I would kill her, but it was just so hard to decide when.

Anyhow—onward!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own them.

CHAPTER TEN: Found

As serious and as calm as he usually was, Bruce found that he lost his patience rather quickly when he was being _lied_ to. Robin was one thing because he had a temper and Bruce had gotten to know the kid through all their years of being family, but when Robin's whole team started popping up with different stories…That was where he drew the line. Did they seriously think he was so stupid?

Must have?

Beast Boy was hard to believe from straw one, but when the girl Starfire started to talk Bruce doubted she was willing enough to lie when she was a stranger to earth. That was why he gave them an hour—he believed…and didn't believe. Then came Cyborg with his excuse. It wasn't very plausible either but when you considered ho w serious Cyborg could be when things were hard…in short, Bruce was pleasant and gave them _another_ hour. The _third_ time was something different with the demon girl Raven. She wasn't one to lie, but she _was_ the type of person to lie for her friends. That was why he had been mildly surprised that she invited him down to see that she was telling the truth. Either she was the only one who wasn't lying to him or she was better than all her teammates at trying to pull the blinds over someone's eyes.

It turned out to be the latter of the two.

Landing on top of T-tower he didn't see anyone and shrugged it off that they were busy. Able to enter on his own, he went inside and took their elevator downstairs, walking into the living room to find…Raven.

She was reading a book at the kitchen counter, a cup of steaming tea beside her where she rested her book. Diverting her eyes from the pages, she stared at Batman and an eyebrow instantly rose. "You're here soon….I thought it would take more than an hour."

He frowned. "There's no traffic in the sky, and besides—I see no one here but you."

"You just missed him." She said plainly and slipped off her chair to walk to the main computer. Turning it one, she started typing things in. "There was a robbery at on the edge of town and they had to clear that mess up before they came back."

He wasn't eating this.

"Then why are you here instead of Robin?" He asked, trying to catch her in the act. "Wouldn't it make more sense for him to stay here so I could talk to him?"

She shrugged. "I honestly thought you knew you're surrogate son better. He's not to type to sit out when it comes to crime."

Did she just insult him? Who did she think she…

"Which side of town?" He grumbled, not in any mood to talk to this woman. He would find Robin himself.

"Hold on…" She finished typing and a map of the entire city came up. There were three dots blinking on the screen, a different letter inside each. B, S, C…and that was it. B and S were close together in a smaller community north of the city while the C was passing through the city on its way toward the other two. Obviously a chase was in action.

"I take it that that's Beast Boy, Starfire and Cyborg…." He noticed how she gave a worried look for half a millisecond. "And where is Robin?"

She shrugged and closed up on the area with Beast Boy and Starfire. "He doesn't have his communicator on him."

He sighed. "I know all three of you are lying. Robin is…kidnapped?"

Seeing that there was no use in lying to him anymore, Raven turned around to face him and sighed herself, shoulders drooping as she realized that the charade was over. But he was surprised they kept him on the edge for as long as they did. Too bad it didn't look too good for them now…

"We lost him a couple of days ago." She answered, looking up to meet his expressionless gaze. "—But it wasn't his fault that he was caught."

"How so?"

"Ever hear of a man named Jaze?"

Whoa…it had been a long time since last he heard that name. He had—what?—one battle with the guy and he wasn't even staying in Gotham. Just a wanderer following a group of scientist led by a Dr. J Manning…

"He's the one who took Robin?"

She nodded. "We got a call one day that there was a robbery at the bank while Robin got a call that there was a problem at the Wayne Enterprises here in Jump City. The four of us left and later Starfire got a call from him that this man was there. His communicator was cut short half way before we could find out where he was, and thus began our search for him."

Wasn't that just great. Robin could be so much as dead right now and they wouldn't have a clue. He didn't know who was more irresponsible—Robin for going off alone, or his friends who left him to go on his own. Perhaps it could be divided for both.

"He's not dead." Raven said, much as though she had been reading his mind—which he had no doubt she wasn't. "I received word from Cyborg a short while ago that he's been spotted. Starfire and Beast Boy are chasing after him with the help of…Jaze."

Jaze? Did he hear her clearly or was she saying that the good guys and the villain were teaming up to chase the leader? Why didn't that make any sense?

"How so?" He muttered in a mood that wouldn't stand for any more games.

"Slade came along."

Too true. He knew the old cougar was around, but he just didn't think that he'd reach Jump City so quickly. And if that was the cause then…

"Slade is the same man Robin has the problem with—the one who kidnapped him a while back when you guys first started?" He asked, trying to clear his muddled mind.

"Yes."

"Then he's the one chasing after Robin who is being chased after by Jaze and your companions?"

"Pretty much." Then she paused… "But Slade's already caught Robin."

He rubbed his right temple and spun around on his heel. If anyone was going to get any sleep tonight, he'd have to intervene. There was no way his kid was going to have to put up with that man again…

"You stay here and watch for any alarms." He ordered the girl when he heard her following. "I'll be back _soon_."

-R-

His head was as heavy as lead and he could feel every heartbeat as a throbbing pain in each temple. He was tempted to shake his head and see if it was just his imagination, but he knew better than that and waited until his eyes adjusted to the darkness that he did. Not only did he feel sick to his stomach, but he had to wait about five to ten minutes before his vision would stop doubling. It was the worst feeling in the world…

There was a beam of light on the floor just a couple feet in front of him, stretching out from the crack beneath the door. A shadow passed across it as someone moved out in the hall, and he almost called out to ask where the heck he was and what on earth he was doing there until everything started coming back to him. It was simple, really, because it was all explained with one word he hated more than _'weak_'—and that was saying something.

Slade.

Speaking of which, the man saw Robin stir and stood right in front of him to block any light Robin could see. He could feel that one cold eye boring down on him and that almost made him shiver. Would he shiver? Not likely. Why give the man satisfaction knowing he gave you the creeps…

"Feeling better?" Slade asked, not really meaning to sound concerned. It was his way of annoying Robin and it was working.

"Like you care." Robin muttered and closed his eyes to focus as they doubled on him again.

Slade grabbed the hair on the back of his head and tilted his head back so that he looked up at him…That was another belittling technique that made Robin feel small—having to look _up_ at someone who always looked _down_ at you.

Man that guy could give hard head shots…

"I won't have that tone of voice from you. Young man." Slade warned and released his hair, turning away to pace down one of the many lanes in the storage room…Storage room? Where did Slade take him?

There was faint singing to be heard for half a second…a really high note too, light a high C or something like that.

Music? They weren't in the old opera house were they? There really was only one in the city and it was _wwwwaaaaaayyyyyy_ on the edge of town in a community where people didn't even know the meaning of _crime_.

No wonder Slade brought him here.

As Slade slowly moved farther away form Robin, he silently began working on the rope around his wrists. Surprisingly enough, Slade didn't check Robin's gloves fro the sliver of metal he always had on him. Working his hand, he slipped it out of his hand and sawed away at the rope whenever Slade moved further away from him. The man seemed to be thinking of something important…

Just before Robin could finish with the rope, another shadow cut the bean of light on the floor. Someone was silently standing on the other side of the door, but hey weren't doing anything. Slade noticed this too and stood ready, slowly bringing out his Bo-staff which lengthened immediately.

The shadow suddenly thinned and disappeared, but Robin still had the feeling that the person was still around.

'_Hey, kid. Miss me?'_

Robin paused. He didn't know whether he was thankful that Jaze was around, or upset that he was going to get recaptured—again!

'_How did you find me?' _ He though in response as Slade moved down the long isle toward the door.

'_Somehow I heard your thoughtsand it's easy to hear anyone when they're as annoyed as you at Slade.'_

'_Where are you?'_

Laughter filled the room and both Robin and Slade paused. It was echoing everywhere and Robin knew who it belonged to.

He felt two hands gently pull the rest of the rope off his wrists, but he remained still as Slade moved toward him in the darkness.

"_How nice to see you again, Slade." _Jaze said aloud, two red eyes appearing off to the left in the pitch-black corner of the room. _"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important? Are you…pacing? Worried now, are we?"_

"Anything but." Slade growled and made at hit in the dark at the two red eyes. The eyes dodged swiftly to the left and remained pinned on Slade, narrowing as Jaze frowned.

"_I take it you're not happy to see me…But the feeling is mutual. Now, I believe you have something of mine."_

"No, actually." Slade muttered, and made three swings in a row, hitting something on the last one. It turned out to be a shelf which he knocked over with a loud array of noises, but Jaze's eyes remained visible.

'_Time to go, kid.' _Jaze thought to Robin as his eyes continued to dart the attacks coming form Slade in the dark. _'Run now and meet up with your friends. They're outside n the hallway where I told them to wait.'_

Robin did a double-take on that. Jaze had been with his friends? Wasn't there something wrong with that picture?

'_You're…letting me go?' _Robin thought in disbelief. He would have never thought…

'_Yes—now leave before I change my mind. If you haven't noticed, I'm only dodged Slade right now because my head still hurts from our last meeting. If you don't run along like a good little boy, I grab you and drag you back home right now. Mark my words!'_

Well, Robin wasn't going to argue with that. As Jaze led Slade further and further away into the darkness, Robin got up quietly and bolt for the door. He grabbed the doorknob, twisted, pulled, and—

_Smack!_

He rubbed his forehead and so did Beast Boy who stood in front of him. Starfire stood next to Beast Boy, but not for long—she wrapped her arms around Robin's neck and squeezed so tight he thought he was going to suffocate. Not to mention his head still hurt…

"ROBIN!" She exclaimed in glee, but Robin wished she hadn't.

"Starfire." He said as she released him. "We can't make any noise—"

"EEK!" She yelped, grabbed Robin by the shoulders and pulled him into the hall. Meanwhile, Beast Boy reached an arm inside the room, grabbed the doorknob, and pulled the door shut just as Slade came up behind Robin. Both of them looked panicky and braced against the door as Slade thudded against it loudly, attempting to break it down.

Then a fist punched through the door to the left of Robin's head and splinters flew everywhere as the hand reached downward and caught Robin by his shoulder. He yelped in pain and tried to pull away.

"Let go!" He yelled and Beast Boy did something new.

He bit Slade's hand.

-A-

Hehehehehehehe—I'm just going to leav you on a cliffy right now. I know some of my reviewers from _Blast to the Supposed Past_ read this, so the this is addressed to them: _If anyone wants to see what HW really looks like, I have a picture of her when she jumps down out of the elevator and knees Jacob in the face. E-mail me if you want to see it._ Sorry, I usually don't show my art, but I made a bet with Victor and I lost—so I have to give the offer. I don't know if it's good or bad because I drew it in ten minutes...hmmm…

Anyhow—stay tuned for the next chapter, which I will write as soon as I get one again, and after I write the next chapter to _Slade's Tale_. I left my readers half way between the _Apprentice_ episodes…aren't I mean?

_Vale, amici!_ (Goodbye, friends!)

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	13. Chapter thirteen: More trouble for Robin

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Hello again, people. I know I said I would e-mail the picture to those of you who asked for it—and I will, but you probably won't get it until Tuesday or Wednesday. Why, you ask? My parents are divorced and my dad unexpectedly took me and my two sisters over to his house from today until Tuesday afternoon. My scanner is at my mom's place and I haven't got the slightest idea how on earth I'm supposed to scan it onto the computer without it…Anyway, you will get it so please don't worry. But the picture is so funny…hahaha! I have HW ramming her knee into Jacob's face. It's in anime style so I hope it doesn't ruin the image you had of her in your mind, and yes…there will be a kind of funeral for her at the end, but not exactly. You get to see her 'family' coming down to Gotham to pick up her body…Or do they? Just read…

Anything else…Oh—I'm sorry if Batman sounded a little OOC for you. I wrote that around one am after I had my insomnia pills and I felt like a zombie—not to mention I ate no meat or dairy products last week because I'm Ukrainian Catholic…I have a headache now…

DISCLAIMER: I have no claim.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: More trouble for Robin

His action was a little unexpected—even to him. All Beast Boy saw was the hand shoot out from the door and grab Robin's shoulder. There was a crunching noise as Robin's bone threatened to break and Starfire looked too shocked to know what to do. Beast Boy actually meant to transform before he bit down hard on the guy's hand, but the small fangs he always had in his mouth did the trick. There was another crunching noise, but this time it was coming from Slade and not Robin. Certainly in pain, Slade released Robin and Beast Boy was pulled through the door instead.

Great.

Releasing the hand from his mouth, Beast Boy landed in a heap between Slade and the broken door. His head hurt from going through it and creating an even larger hole, but that was the least of his problems. The next thing he knew, a sharp kick was delivered to his stomach and he was lifted momentarily off the ground before he landed on his front. Pain sprouting from his gut, he rolled onto his side and put a hand over the bruising area gently as a second kick came to his face. This time he was fortunate enough to morph before he took the hit.

Now a snake, he was low enough to duck under Slade's leg and slithered toward the man. Reaching his other foot, he wound himself up his leg and transformed into a large Anaconda, working his way toward Slade's head to bite it off.

He still hadn't forgotten about Terra.

With unbelievable strength, Slade grabbed his neck (or the area closest to his head) and strangled Beast Boy until he saw stars. The green changeling barred his fangs dripping with saliva and slowly inched closer toward Slade's head, trying his hardest to reach far enough to at least munch off his face.

Too bad he couldn't.

Slade's grip tightened and Beast Boy's loosened terribly. Soon he was nothing more than a heap around Slade's feet until he was forced to transform back into himself. The last thing he saw was Slade step over him toward the door before he blacked out…

-St-

Despite her alien strength, dragging Robin away proved to more of a difficult task than she first imagined. He kept insisting that they go back and help Beast Boy, but Starfire already discussed that with their changeling friend. The deal was, no one stayed back to help anyone until Robin was safe. Robin would probably bite their heads off later for it, saying that no one should be left behind, but they knew Slade wasn't going to waste all his energy on any of them and just toss them aside should they stand in his way. As soon as Robin was a good distance away then she would return for their friend.

Besides, Jaze was there and he would help…wouldn't he?

"Please, Robin. We do not have much time." She begged him and then squealed again as she saw Slade standing at the end of the hall, stepping through the hole he made in the door with Beast Boy. Apparently they were losing.

Robin tried to take a step toward Slade as the madman started running after them, but Starfire thought quickly, she took Robin unexpectedly into her arms, began to levitate, and soared down the hallway at a break neck speed. There was no way Slade could keep up with them now, and she found she was right when she gazed over her shoulder and saw Slade's figure grow smaller…

"Starfire—watch out!" Robin warned and she looked ahead—with barely enough time to slow before she hit the wall. Slowing down, she put her feet against the wall to fully stop herself and turned left down the three-way intersection. This way led to a short set of stairs that led to one hidden side of the stage. Singers were preparing for the next scene and all backed away as Starfire flew up toward the rafters and stood on one of the catwalks above the stage. She could see the opera in action from up here and deemed it safe enough to put Robin down.

Standing, Robin looked over the edge of the catwalk toward one side of the stage where the off-stage singers were. They were all talking in wonderment now in the curiosity of why the Teen Titans were there. Crime usually didn't happen in their isolated community anyway, so it wasn't unusual to see their shocked faces as Starfire began to pace.

"We have to get Beast Boy." Robin said and looked as though he was going to jump off the edge of the catwalk. Starfire caught his arm in time and pulled him back away from the railing.

"Once Jaze takes you to safety, I will return to Beast Boy and battle Slade."

"Slade's my responsibility." Robin replied gently—so gently that Starfire was shocked. Usually Robin was angry whenever _Slade_ was the name of the day. "And so is Beast Boy. It's my duty alone to save him."

"Not when you are the one who needs saving." She sighed and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "At least wait until your belt of utilities has been returned. Then you will be ready."

He grinned. "But a hero makes do with what he's got."

"Please, Robin." She implored him, able to imagine the terrible outcome if they were to lose. "Just wait until—"

A horrified shriek below cut her short and both her and Boy Wonder leaned over the railing to see what was wrong. A woman was pushed back as Slade came storming up the stairs to the back-stage and glared around in search of his pray. The singers backed off and many fled, and even the singer on-stage paused in her song as the crowd began to murmur.

Obviously this wasn't what was rehearsed

As though he already knew where they were, Slade's eye turned upward and narrowed as he spotted the two of them up on the catwalk. Then, turning his eye on the ladder leading to their current position, he ran toward it and started on his way up.

"Come, Robin." Starfire said and reached to grab Robin's arm—but he was already standing on the railing. It one leap he caught a rope to one of the stage weights and slid down to the ground. Slade saw this and, halfway up the ladder, leapt down to greet Boy Wonder. There was a loud, earth shattering _thud_ as he landed and he paused before strolling over toward Robin.

Starfire didn't see Slade reached to his belt until it was too late and the small black sphere went flying toward her. It landed by her feet on the catwalk and a thick black cloud of smoke erupted from the bomb, sending her into darkness…

-R-

He stared up at the catwalk, his eyes on the sphere as it arched in the air and landed by her feet. She was suddenly blinded by the sleeping gas and fell as it knocked her unconscious.

"Starfire!" He yelled and she looked at him as she fell before her eyes closed. Luckily enough, she didn't fall off the catwalk.

He turned his head toward Slade too late and was greeted with a heavy body slam toward the stage background. Made of weak material, he went right through it and bounced twice on his back before he slid to a halt right next to the Prima Donna on stage. She shrieked and everybody started to yell as they scrambled to flee that opera house, someone screaming loudly as Slade stepped through the large rip on the background. Robin had to admit, the sight of him was enough to give anyone the shivers.

Robin jumped to his feet and took up his stance. Slade came closer and Robin brought up his leg side-kick—what?

Robin looked down at his legs as he sunk half a foot lower in a puddle of something that looked like black goop. Slade took this to his advantage and tried to kick Robin himself, but a tentacle of the goop shot up in front of Robin and blocked the blow not a moment too soon.

"Let go, Jaze." Robin muttered, sinking lower until he was up to his thighs in the liquefied shadow. "I'm here to fight."

"_You really have to take a vacation, kid. Don't let someone of your brains fall into the hands of this guy."_

Robin felt like arguing further, but he was short of breath as someone else came into the picture. He was body-checked from the left and went flying with the stranger, caught just in midair just as the other figure landed professionally on one knee.

Too bad it couldn't have been anyone besides his surrogate father.

"You…you…" Robin was lost at words. Since when did Batman come to Jump City?

The Dark Knight placed Robin on the ground and stood up, pulling out an explosive batarang and throwing it at Slade and Jaze just as Jaze took his normal shape. The two didn't notice the batarang until after Jaze threw Slade aside and turned to look at Robin. His red eyes widened before he shut them tight and crossed his arms in front of his face just as it hit him, the blow knocking him back off-stage. His coat was suddenly set on fire on the front and he patted his chest in a panic to put it out. He was successful—and just dodge aside an average batarang that almost caught his shoulder. It was embedded in the wall and twanged until it shuddered to a stop…

"_Nice shot, bat brains." _Jaze muttered as he tilted up the front of his wide-brimmed hat with a knuckle. _"But I think you're aiming at the wrong person."_

"Do you steal, fight, and kidnap?" Batman growled, not quite the man to believe a man had changed.

"_Yes."_

"Then I think I'd be doing this city some good in locking you up."

"Wait!" Robin stood and stepped up beside his mentor. Batman wouldn't do so much as look at him—and that meant trouble. "He isn't our real concern. It's—"

He was interrupted when a ribbon came around his mouth a tightened around his head. On the other end was none other than Slade.

Grabbing hold of the ribbon, Robin tried to untie it as he mentor suddenly spun around to see what was wrong, but Slade gave it a mighty tug and Robin was quickly pulled out of Batman's reach and right into his enemy's grasp.

Back pressed against Slade, Slade brought an arm around Robin's throat and took another black sphere from his belt. Holding it up to show the others what he was going to do.

"Sorry to ruin your reunion." Slade said coolly and chucked the sphere at Batman. Another dark cloud of smoke rose from the sphere and consumed the Dark Knight before he take a step forward. "But I'm leaving Jump City today, and we don't have time to chat."

Two words went through Robin's mind.

_Not again_…

-A-

_Ahhhhhhhhh_! Another short one, but you already know why I do that. If I'm gonna keep you guys reading I have to leave you off on cliffhangers…but don't worry. This story will find an ending…some day…some way…I know it! Okay, enough of my theatrics. Here's a little explanation for my choices in making this story: One, I chose an opera house during an opera night because my older sister is an opera singer. I chose Jaze as the villain because he was both a villain in another story I wrote and because he resembled this one guy I kept having nightmares about when I was a kid. Beast Boy acting heroic was because my young sister is just like her and she finally got over her fear of spiders (hence the tarantula), the dark (hence the shadow powers of Jaze), and the basement (hence the fight in the basement). Believe it or not, but some of these things are off the top of my head when something happens during my day. Why am I telling you this? Because my younger sister's English teacher (I hate her!) told me that I'm a horrible writer because I don't draft my stories at least six months before I write them. Here's a few words of wisdom, faithful readers—good ideas take time to develop, but great ideas come in an instant. Catch them first and tame them quickly because they fly away the fastest. o.-!

_Pleasant writings,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	14. Chapter fourteen: Act like a human being

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Hahahahahaha! I was just looking over my profile and I have about seventy-four favorite stories and fifty-seven favorite Authors! I didn't realize I read that many stories so far…Anyway, going on.

So, let's do a review, shall we? Robin got kidnapped by Jaze. Robin stayed kidnapped and Slade came back. Starfire and Beast Boy find Robin. Slade kidnaps Robin. Star and BB team up with Jaze while Cy and Raven deal with the Bat. Batman comes to town and Slade flees to the quieter community to keep Robin. Jaze, Star, and BB find Robin. Batman finds Robin. Huge fight is going on. Robin is currently re-kidnapped by Slade.

Whoa, why do I feel like I'm playing hot potato. Poor Robin…oh well, I'm getting a good story out of his suffering, so let's continue—shall we?

DISCLAIMER: I only own Jaze and the plot for this story

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Act like a human being

Oiye, he was getting tired of this. First he went to someone and then, seconds after his freedom, he was caught by another. He was freed again briefly until caught again, and he was sure that, whatever the outcome of this battle, he was going to be in one hell of a lot of trouble. If Jaze won he didn't know how he'd escape his house again, if Batman won he'd be demoted back to sidekick, and if Slade won…he didn't want to think about it. Slade was the worst outcome so he'd might as well fight to make sure one of the other two won.

Robin reached up for the ribbon around his mouth and tore it off to breath. Slade was trying to drag him backwards as smoke filled the air, but Robin braced his feet and tried to pry the arm from his throat. He was choking—not to mention the smoke was so thick you couldn't see a darn thing through it.

Jaze was the one to aid him, transforming into more of his shadow goop and shooting out from the cloud of smoke toward them. The smoke reached them just as Jaze came into contact with them, knocking them apart and away from each other. But there was a problem. Not only was Robin unable to see anything thanks to the smoke, but Jaze's goop covered his nose and mouth and hardened. Apparently, Jaze didn't know all of what his body did and where it was.

Robin could hear Slade off to his left as he tried to get out of the hardening substance. Robin was really only covered on his lower face and neck, having the ability to move around, but he didn't have his belt. If he did he could break the mask, but right now he was suffocating.

He scratched at it, trying to find a crack or something to tear at, but he found nothing on the smooth black surface. He was only lucky he took a deep breath before Jaze attacked them, otherwise…he'd…

Robin fell to his knees as his vision suddenly doubled. He had to calm down because he was using up too much of his oxygen…He could get out of this…he had to…

There was a swerve in the smoke in front of him and a figure approached him. At first he thought it was Slade, but it turned out to be the Dark Knight.

"Robin, we—" He paused and gave Robin a second look. He knelt before him in an instant and took out a little weapon that looked like a pen. Clicking down on the end, a thin laser shot out of the other side and hit the hardened shadow on Robin's mouth. Batman cut a long thin line down the side of his face and it fell to the floor between them.

Gasping for air, Robin coughed a couple of times and finally relaxed.

Yep. He was going to be in hell when this was over.

"We have to get out of here." The Dark Knight said as he stood and offered a hand to Robin. Robin ignored it quietly and stood on his own.

"We can't leave Slade." Robin said plainly. He knew how hot-headed that sounded, but he knew Slade and he knew what Slade would do.

"You need fresh air." His mentor said plainly and grabbed him gently by his right arm, turning to find the exit.

"Batman…he's just like us." He said, and his surrogate father turned around to look at him in confusion. "He won't give in until he gets what he wants, even if it means fighting with tooth and nail. The best thing to do right now is catch him while he can't see us."

There was hesitation. He knew it was going to be hard for Bruce to believe in him now, seeing that he was continuously being kidnapped…but still. Robin was right. Slade was going to murder someone when he found out that—

Slade hollered a roar of fury off to the left and shards of the hardened shadow came flying out toward them. Robin lifted his arm to protect his face and was met with a large splinter in his arm. He bit back a yelp and lowered his arm, pulling it out before it turned back to goop in his hand. The goop gathered near Batman and Robin, transforming back into Jaze with his hat, coat and mummy wrapping, looking up at the two with his piercing red eyes. No wonder Batman attacked this guy. He looked menacing when he was t-ed off.

"You're both right." He said as he cracked out his neck. "But you should fight Slade somewhere where you can see him clearly. Run across the street and wait in the church there. I'll hold onto Slade with my powers until the cops come by."

Batman stared at the man in confusion, side-glancing at Robin before speaking. "Whose side are you on?"

Jaze laughed. "Whatever side I feel like, but right now I feel like helping your kid. Take him somewhere safe and then come back here."

No way! He had to—

Batman continued to hold onto his arm dashed from the room before Robin could protest.

Why didn't anyone trust him? Sure he got into his fair share of trouble, but he always found a way out. How else would he still be alive, and how else would he have become the leader of his team. Faith was such and easy thing to lose when adults were dealing with children. They took kids for granted…

But Robin listened for once and followed Batman outside onto the abandoned main street. Crossing it, Robin opened the door and stepped inside, his mentor not coming in after him.

"I now how degrading this must feel for you, but you've been through too much lately." The Dark Knight said, actually trying to sound comforting. "Try to relax and wait here until I come back."

Bruce closed the door and Robin stared at it for the longest of times before turning around and sitting in one of the far back pews to his left. He sat there in silence, just staring at the candles lit at the very front as he thought. He was sure he was alone…but he didn't notice her…

-J-

Where on earth was he? Someone didn't just get up and disappear.

Jaze continued to wander around on the stage as the smoke cleared to reveal and empty opera house. Slade had to still be around somewhere, lurking in the darkness, just waiting to jump out and scare the hell out of you. But where? There wasn't much of anywhere to hide unless he dashed backstage.

Jaze muttered a curse and made his way toward the side of the stage. There was still the other two kids to get out of the building before Slade decided to kill them. Robin was safe with Batman, so at least all of that was well.

-R-

"I'm sorry. I didn't know someone was still praying."

He jumped at the sound of her voice and looked to the far end of the pew. There was a girl his age with long black hair tied back and dull grey eyes holding a broom, just standing there and staring at him curiously.

"No…" He said and looked at the broom. "You cleaning the church?"

She smiled and gave a weak laugh. "I volunteer because most of the nuns and priests here are old with arthritis and can't move around too easily. I was actually just finishing up."

"That's nice…" He said softly and stared at the front of the church again. What was he going to do when this was all over…?

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Then why the long face?"

He side-glanced at her as she sat down on the pew and continued to stare at him. "No one believes in my anymore. How can I protect a city if no one has the faith that I can do it?"

She laughed and he couldn't believe his ears. But he was mistaken. "You came to right place then." She explained and laid her broom horizontal across her lap. "You're Robin—the leader of the Teen Titans if I'm not correct?"

"That's right."

"Well…" She smiled up at the roof and Robin looked up too. There was a design of angels and demons fighting in the clouds, the angels, of course, victorious. Robin couldn't remember the last time he had been in a church. It had been so long, that he could barely remember the circus…save for the incident with his parents…

"Don't listen to anyone." She continued and he humored her by continuing to listen. "The only one on this planet that needs to have faith in you is yourself. If you get demoted or anything like that, so what. You have to start at the bottom before you can make your way up. You're still young—you have a ton of time to become all that you can be."

True…but it was still hard when your own father started to lose faith in you. He could make his way back up, but that would take a lot of time…but she was right, he was still young. He had a ton of time to be the best he could be.

"That was very helpful." He said, looking back to the girl. "Thanks…?"

"Joyce." She said and held out her hand. He took it and shook it, grinning as she picked up her broom and walked toward the door. "Now, if you would please excuse me, I have rugs to shake out before I forget to do them."

He relaxed in his seat and smiled at the front of the church. Wouldn't this be a funny tale to tell the others the next time he saw them. The moment he entered a church, God gave him an answer.

Joyce was humming when she left the pew, but then she stopped abruptly and shrieked as the door was kicked opened to the point where it almost broke the hinges. It was large and heavy, but with Slade anything was possible…

Robin stood and turned around, eyes narrow as he glared at the man. Coming after Robin was one thing, but destroying church property was a little disrespectful, even if you weren't a believer. But Slade was careless and evil, so who knew. He could have worshipped the devil for all Robin cared.

"Looking to God for answers, Robin?" Slade asked and slowly advanced him at a slow pace as Robin tried to think of what to do. "He isn't going to say anything."

"Maybe not with the devil in his house." Joyce muttered from her spot by the door. She rested her broom against the wall and reached into her pocket.

"Just watch…" Slade said and turned toward her. "He isn't going to stop me from killing you."

He shot out his arm and grabbed her around the throat, lifting her off the ground until her toes dangled an inch or sound just above the floor. Robin ran to aid her, but Slade knocked him back with his free arm and sent Robin flying far across the room to crash atop the front pews. One broke beneath his weight and pain erupted in his right elbow as he pushed up off it. Standing, he listened in horror as Joyce began to catch.

Then he cringed.

_Zap!_

Slade dropped Joyce and held his arm by the wrist. Joyce held a shocker in her hand that was still cackling before she lowered it to her side, frowning hard at Slade as she rubbed her sore throat with her free hand.

"If you ask me, I think God was listening." Robin said aloud and Slade's one eyes turned hatefully to him. "I'll fight you Slade—but not in here."

"Yeah." Joyce added. "Act like a human being and take this outside."

For a moment there Robin thought Slade was going to attack her again, but he apparently still had some respect for the church and gave Robin one last glare before walking out the door.

"Good luck." Joyce whispered to Robin with a small smile as he passed her after Slade. This was going to be something. "Just don't die on us. We still need you here in Jump City...Have faith and no one else needs to, kid."

He grinned and stepped down the stairs leading to the sidewalk outside. Slade was standing in the middle of the deserted road between the opera house and the church, hands held behind his back as he waited. Robin knew he wasn't going to die, but the price of failure was still great. He didn't want to be Slade's apprentice again—it would be like hell on earth, but he had to fight him. It was either now…or never…

"Alone again." Slade said as Robin stepped down off the curb and stopped, staring at his enemy seriously. "But this will be settled quickly. I'm not going to let you escape…not again…"

-A-

Yeah, I now it's corny that I keep using the title as the ending words, but it fit—didn't it? Anyhow, if anyone read my _Blast to the Supposed Past_ you should have recognized Joyce. I made a character like her when someone suggested I make a tribute to my OC for killing her off in my other one. Hehehe—hence the shocker. And the picture—I'm going back to my mom's house today, so I'll be able to scan it onto the computer to send. Which reminds me, I have to go work on that story. I killed off Joyce/HW and left the readers with nothing else. I must be mean…

Oh well, you guys won't believe what I have next—it's not over yet! Yeah, I know I'm so cruel for continuously leaving you on the edge of the cliff, but (_Looking over the edge_) I'm just making a bet to see who can hold on the longest.

PS—I almost forgot! **KaliAnn** and **KelseyAlicia **looked up what Slade's name meant in the dictionary and here it is: Valley. It's Old English and Slade means valley… Heh. Oh well, for the longest of times I thought his name was 'Slate' after the rock, so I guess that's better than how I was interpreting. Thanks you guys!

_Until next time,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	15. Chapter fifteen: Falling

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Well, it seems like we're moving forward quite smoothly. And someone mentioned my story where Slade teams up with the Titans…let's just say I'm going to be re-doing that one. That was my first fic and I had no idea where that was going, and I have three other's to deal with.

Okay—now that that's been said, I have a story to write. And don't worry; the end is near—but not quite close enough. I'm having too much fun with this one.

DISCALIMER: (_Looking for Jaze in opera house_.) Damn…trust him to get lost—oops. Oh hi…ahem…I don't own them, except for this guy…wherever he is…

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Falling

Cyborg just kept driving. How they ended up on the other side of town so fast, he had no idea, but at least Starfire and Beast Boy were holding still. He only wished that Robin had his communicator on him, but like that ever happened. Whenever things got super tough, he was the one to always lose it first. Just plain damn luck…

Cyborg cut through the traffic with ease and switched lanes quickly; he had to get to the farthest side of town before they started moving again or before someone nabbed Robin undetected. But Cy had one thing to say about it—the next time a villain wanted to go one on one against Robin, the rest of the Titans were going to referee.

-R-

"Here we are again." Slade sighed as they stared at each other silently. "Let's make this quick, shall we?"

Robin said nothing in response. He was watching Slade and Slade was watching him, both waiting to see which one would break the frozen picture. As though to add a dramatic mood, dust picked up on the road in the slight breeze and blew in a cloud between them, the sun finally poking the tip of its nosey head over the horizon. Everything was bathed in red and orange, warming Robin from the slight chill of the evening air that was there a moment ago.

And then he attacked.

Robin barely had the time to jump aside as Slade leapt toward him, his staff raised as he secretly pulled it out. It slammed into the curb and cracked the concrete a moment after impact. Slade had a staff—Robin had nothing. He should have known Slade wasn't going to play fair, but then again, Slade was a man for surprises. He liked to make you think one thing and then shock you with another.

Slade swung the staff vertically upward and Robin only bent back far enough to avoid a smart hit from the attack. It caught the front of his suit, however, and created a small rip across his chest. Oh well. Bending backward, he brought up his right leg and planted a round house kick to Slade's waist, sending him stumbling a foot to the right as he prepared for another swing.

Robin backed away at a steady pace as Slade swung in a combo. He was doing pretty good at avoiding the staff, but Slade caught on to that and when he pulled his staff back for a final swing—he instead used the turn of his body to side-kick Robin in the ribs. This followed with a punch to the jaw and then the horizontal swing that smacked Robin hard on the left shoulder. It sent him flying further onto the road where he landed and took a moment to regain his vision before he stood—

—And jumped out of the way of the car that nearly ran him over. The driver honked his hones and sped away, once again leaving the road deserted save for the two fighters.

"You should be more careful." Slade mocked as they began to circle each other. "You're no good to me dead."

"Then let's make sure you're the one to get hit by the car." Robin muttered and lunged at Slade, fist raised. He missed Slade's head when he moved it, but tried to make up with two more punches—which also missed—and a roundhouse kick that Slade barely missed when he jumped back. Try as he might, Robin wasn't getting many points tonight.

Another car drove into view and the two fighters stood back from each other as it passed between them. It was obvious they weren't going to get much done with everyone in the neighborhood waking up.

"I think this calls for a new arena." Robin suggested, stepping back again as yet another car passed by. "We aren't going to get very far if this keeps up."

"I agree." His enemy sighed and turned around. Stepping up onto the curd, he walked around the church to the thick forest behind it, but passed before entering to back-glance at Robin.

Robin hesitated on the opposite end of the street. In the forest no one would know where he was and that meant is he lost, Batman and Jaze wouldn't be able to find him.

Sighing, he waited until the next car passed before walking across the street and making his way around the church toward the forest. Slade entered into the darkness and Robin followed with the growing pain of dread in his gut. He couldn't lose…but somehow he knew he would…

-S-

The boy followed, and when he entered the forest he hesitated. Slade was already standing on the branch of a tall tree nearby, staring down at Robin as Boy Wonder gazed around curiously. He hadn't noticed his arch enemy until Slade jumped down behind him and swung his staff. Robin's body bent sideways into the attack and he gasped for air as he was sent flying into the tree, body crumbling as he fell to his hands and knees. The hit could have broken some ribs, but Robin was a strong boy and stood, coughing hard as air suddenly filled his lungs.

A hand on the trunk of the tree, Robin looked at Slade just as he took a stab at him with the staff. Robin stumbled aside and watched as the staff stuck in the tree, bringing his hand down on it instantly in a swift karate chop. This cut it in half and Slade almost didn't make it out of the way as Robin tried a high side-kick to his face. Slade caught his foot instead and tossed him aside.

Robin came colliding with another tree, his back slamming against the thick trunk, bask arching as he fell forward onto his knees.

"You look ill." Slade stated as he slowly strode toward his prey. Robin stood, but bent his head forward as he spat up a small amount of blood. Either he had broken something or all his stress was finally catching up with him.

Somehow Slade knew it was the latter of the two as he stared down at the ground where a small puddle of blood was gathering. Robin paused in silence for a moment before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. There was a small trickle of blood from the right corner of his mouth that led down his chin, but the look on his face hid all the pain. He was furious and proved it by taking up his usual fighting stance.

Slade tossed aside the broken half of his staff and watched Robin. As much as he wanted to continue fighting, Robin was stubborn enough to kill himself this morning. This called for a quick knock out.

"You can't fight me." Slade told him as he pulled out the chloroform cloth from a pocket on his belt. "You won't last very long."

Robin stared at the cloth and his eyes went slightly wider before he frowned. "You always resort to cheating, Slade. What is with you?"

"Interesting question." Slade muttered. "But the real question is what is with _you_. Why did you let your health drop?"

"None of your business." Robin growled and took a running jump kick to Slade's chest. It knocked the wind form him and he staggered backward, dodging the next kick from Robin. Although he was probably in a lot of pain, somehow Robin continued to give Slade a show worth watching. He ignored the hits Slade shot at him and continued to jump back to his feet if he was knocked down.

Robin wasn't doing too badly.

But then something went wrong.

As they moved through the forest at a fighting pace, they came near the small ravine that led to a deep river below. Being near the sea, people tended to stay clear of it, seeing that monsters such as Bull Sharks got drawn in by strong waves. A little ways down stream, the land around the river lowered dramatically where it reached the gulf. If you were stuck in the water you'd have one hell of a time trying to get to land, especially if you were already exhausted before you got stuck in the water.

It just so happened that they hadn't realized they were anywhere near the ravine until Slade took a good swing at Robin and the Boy Wonder went flying backward. He hit a tree which broke behind him and went tumbling down the slide toward the edge of the ravine.

Slade swore under his breath and ran down the slant, sliding to a halt when he reached the end, watched as Robin went flying over the edge. He leaned forward to look down and saw that Robin caught hold of one of the many braches protruding out from the ravine wall where dirt replaced slate. It was a thick sturdy branch, but the end wasn't as string and started to snap.

Slade jumped down and landed in a crouch on the branch, slowly standing and walking toward the end as branch bent more. Robin stared down at the ravine, and then at Slade with a defiant frown on his face.

"Don't be a fool, Robin." Slade said, making his way as fast as he could to the end. "Swallow your pride."

The branch bent further with a strong jolt and Slade froze. Robin looked down at the ravine, not looking very afraid…

"Don't you dare…" Slade hissed. "You're going to kill yourself."

Robin almost shrugged. "I've fallen further and luckily I know how to swim."

Then he let go.

-R-

Talk about suicide, but—believe it or not—his best bet was with the fish than with Slade. Truth be told, he did known how to survive a fall like this.

He held his legs together and pinned his arms to his sides as he looked straight up. Stiff as a board, he fell to the water at a break neck speed and cut through it like butter. Then he held his arms out at either side to slow his decent and it worked. It was dark and murky under the water, but the current wasn't very fast and he fought his way to the surface rather fast. He didn't want to think of what was in the water with him, but as soon as he found a shore he'd be out of the water, he was only lucky he made it out of this one alright.

Staring back up the way he came as the current carried him downstream. He saw Slade standing atop the branch, glaring down at him with that one cold eye. Just before Robin rounded a bend in the river, Slade made his way toward the root of the branch and headed back up to the forest. He'd be back.

And that's why Robin had to hurry.

-J-

He found the kids and laid them down on the stage, bumping into the Dark Knight as he returned.

"No sign of them, eh?" Jaze asked with a sigh.

"I sent Robin to the church across the road. I bet Slade's out there too."

Neither of them took anymore time to think. They both headed back to the church before they spoke their thoughts. Inside was a young lady trying to clean up a mess with the front pews, one of the snapped in half as if someone was thrown into it.

"I take it there was a fight in here." Jaze said as he stood behind the girl. She jumped with a start and spun around to stare at him in surprise.

"Y…Yes…" She said and stepped back form him. "What is with you guys tonight."

"A tall freaky guy who has a mask—half black, half orange?" Jaze waved his hand. "And a kid with a colourful costume?"

"Robin of the Teen Titans and the weird villain guy—yeah." She muttered and pointed to the slightly crooked door. "They took the fight outside onto the street."

Batman stood beside Jaze and the two men looked to one another.

"There wasn't anyone on the street when we walked across." Batman murmured.

The girl shrugged. "There's cars on the road—they probable moved into the forest. That's a neat place to jump around and such and you don't have to worry about people interrupting you."

It sounded like a place Slade would take Robin to fight. A lot of places to run, no one could find them…

His shoulders fell and he muttered a curse under his breath. "This is going to be one hell of a long day…"

-A-

Another shorty…hmmm…Oh well, I can't seem to write long chapters for this one without leaving you on a cliffy. I know you hate them and so do I, but it keeps a person reading.

Besides, I told you this wasn't over yet.

_Are you still holding on?_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	16. Chapter sixteen: Lost

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Jaze: (_Dragging Alex painfully down the basement steps toward the computer, aided by the older cousin Victor._) You need to write the next chapter!

Alex: But I was sleeping! I'm so tired!

Victor: Why are you taking a nap during the day, anyway?

Alex: I got new pills for my knee and they make me quite drowsy—NOW LET ME GO!

Jaze: (_Throws Alex down into the seat in front of the desk._) Sorry, but I hate waiting too long. I don't care how tired you are—you're going to write even if I have to stand guard and watch.

Alex: (_Muttering_.) You moron, I only have four review so far. I've got to let the readers wait in anticipation to make the next chapter more exciting. Besides, I can just fall asleep hear.

Victor: I'll slap you until you wake.

Alex: O.O! You're only making me write because you're plain mean.

Victor: Got that right—and then I get to drag you over to my house where everyone else is.

Alex: Can I sleep there?

Victor: Yes, you may.

Alex: Fine—I'll write.

DISCLAIMER: Jaze, although I dislike him now, is my only creation. Maybe I should kill him off.

_(Slap!)_

Owe! I'm writing, already!

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Lost

Right when he almost had him, he had to go suicide on him and let go of the branch. He could have killed himself if he hadn't been careful, and who was to say he wouldn't come across any problems in the river? As strong as Robin was, he had been fighting the entire night and had been knocked out once with chloroform. If he wasn't tired now he soon would be when he tried to escaped. Besides, when he reached shore he could be pulled out to see in the tide or the undertow.

Slade ran through the trees and leapt over a protruding root from the ground. The moment he got his hands on Robin, he'd knock some sense into that boy for trying to commit suicide. He was going to make Robin suffer for defying and put him to good use before he was going to allow him to die.

He neared a cliff and stopped to look over the edge into the ravine. Robin was still in the river, swimming toward a small shore that was revealed by low tide. It would be covered up again soon, and the only place to go from the shore was up the tall shore. Robin could probably scale it, but not before Slade reached there. It would take him maybe…five minutes? Then he could wait for Robin when he was good and tired, unable to put up a fight. That was when he could take Robin to his other lair in Jump City.

This was working out rather well.

-R-

Damn…he was in so much pain. His broken ribs brought him a new wave of agony with each stroke, but he was almost there. He couldn't tell how many times he suddenly felt numb and almost went unconscious in the water. There were a number of times he could have drowned, but something kept him going. His adrenaline was on low and the pain only seemed to get worse, not to mention he was fighting against the current to swim toward the shore. Then he would have to climb up…

Stroke…stroke…stroke…still choking on water. He had no idea how he did it, but somehow his feet hit the sandy bottom of the river and he walked out from the water. A hand over his broken ribs, he trudged through the water to the shore and stopped at the cliff. He paused, looking up at the barely visible top tiredly. If he had his grappling hook, he probably could have gotten this done sooner.

He looked at the ground as he knelt and finally sat down, leaning his back against the cold stone of the cliff. He was so close…so close and still so far. And where was Slade? Robin didn't see him after the fall, too occupied with pain and the fact that he had to swim unless he wanted to drown that day. It was brighter outside and slowly getting warmer. The sun wasn't on him thanks to the tall walls of the ravine, and that also meant he could sneak out of the forest unseen if he made it to the top of the cliff before Slade caught up to him. Or what if Slade was already ahead of him? What if he was waiting at the top of the cliff?

He had to climb the cliff sooner or later, unless he wanted to wait around for the tide to rise and drown him. Judging by the water line, he didn't have a lot of time until then.

Darn moon…

So he just sat there for short while until he could move his muscles without them hurting too much. He had to climb now. One, there was the tide, and two; he still had his broken ribs to worry about. Maybe the others were searching for him now, but he couldn't hope for them to find him in time. The forest was huge and they wouldn't search in the ravine if they knew a fatal ending usually met whoever fell in. Even Slade didn't look too sure Robin would survive when he let go of the branch.

Robin just realized he was crazy.

Standing up, he exhaled heavily as the pain returned to his ribs. It was enough to knock him up, but he died either now or later. So, willing himself to endure the agony, he took hold of the rock and stepped up, slowly climbing the side of the cliff. He had climbed cliffs before out of fun, and he could do one this tall easily in a couple of minutes, but this climb seemed endless. Every limb cried out for him to stop and let go each time he moved slightly higher, aching to a point where he almost gave in. But something kept him going, even though he feared what might happen the moment he reached the top. Reaching the top was his goal for the day.

And suddenly he regretted doing that.

He reached up and placed his hand on the top of the cliff finally, pausing for breath before he prepared to pull himself up. He was about to do it when another hand grabbed his own and suddenly pulled him up in a flash. He was held dangling over the ravine by his hand, staring straight at Slade's cold narrow eye.

"You never cease to amaze me, Robin." He said with a shake of his head; amusement in his voice as Robin's eyes grew wide. "You live even though you should be dead, and that is something I thought I could only do. _Congratulations_."

He was thrown forward onto the ground, landing on his front. New pain erupted in his chest and it was almost enough to send his head swimming into a pit of darkness. He was so dazed that he didn't make a sound as he was flipped suddenly onto his back and a cloth was pressed against his mouth and nose. He tried to move Slade's hand from his mouth, but Slade caught both his wrists in his free hand and held them tightly as Robin struggled for freedom. No matter what he did, the darkness came anyway, and the last thing he heard was Slade laughing as he closed his eyes and was lifted off the ground.

-B-

Nothing…he went everywhere and all he found was nothing. Behind the church there was enough evidence that Slade and Robin fought…and then a couple of broken branches and such here and there. There was running and it led him toward the ravine where it ended near a branch. It was broken at the end, the tip swinging back and forth in the slight breeze…

What was that?

Batman walked out on the branch and knelt, reaching out for the end of the branch. Then he caught the piece of cloth and brought it to his face.

Green…same material as Robin's glove.

That's because it was the same material as Robin's glove.

"Find something?" Jaze asked behind him, transforming into his villain self from shadows that gathered together. "I've got nothing so far."

Batman stood carefully and looked back at the ravine. His chest felt tight and his gut twisted when he thought of what could have happened. Jaze saw the piece in his hands and then stared at the river like Batman had. The glow in his eyes dimmed and he looked at his feet.

"Sorry…"

Batman swallowed. "We'll check the gulf and the shores down from here. If he's alive, we'll find him."

Jaze said nothing as he left and Batman was somewhat grateful. His throat was tight and he didn't know what to think or say. He would check and he would find Robin…

…he hoped.

-BB-

He still couldn't believe his ears when he woke up in a church and found that Jaze was there waiting for him and Star. Star was asleep on the pew next to him and thank God for that. If she heard what Jaze told him…Beast Boy knew she would cry her heart out.

In a short summary: Robin fought Slade; Robin lost and fell into the ravine; Robin (or his body, anyway) didn't wash up anywhere, and when the shores by the river were checked, all evidence that he could have survived had been washed away with the High Tide. There was no way he could have survived a fall, climbed up the ravine to the forest, and run away without passing out somewhere along the way. And the forest had been checked from top to bottom numerous times by Batman and others. Cyborg came along and Raven did too to help, but nothing was found.

The conclusion—Robin's body was out at sea.

Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head and tried to think of something to say. Quite plainly there was _nothing_ to say. Beast Boy was in shock…a numbing feeling dazing his head. Robin was dead…then the pain came.

"You've got to be wrong!" He exclaimed, but Jaze only shook his head. "Robin…Robin's been through worse…There's no way…any way he could be…"

He broke out in tears and wept into his hands. When was the last time he cried? Maybe when he thought he was frozen in time thanks to Slade's fake chronoton detonator…

_Slade_.

First he took away Terra, and now he killed one of Beast Boy's best friends. Enough was enough—he was going to make him pay if that was the last thing he did. Slade didn't know when to stop and the Titans were going to show him that now was the time.

"You should be getting back to your tower." Jaze said quietly, still in his villain form thanks to Batman constantly showing up. He couldn't risk revealing his true identity. "Get some rest and stop thinking about it for now."

"He's gonna pay…He's gonna pay."

"You—" Jaze froze when they both saw Starfire. Then turned back to Beast Boy. "Do you want to tell her, or should I?"

Beast Boy looked at her hard. Starfire wasn't going to accept the fact that Robin was dead. She was going to shout and cry and probably blow things up, then fly around the city and the shore a millions times until she started hallucinated seeing Robin. If they had never doubted Robin in the first place he'd still be with them…If they would have believed that Slade was back, he'd still be with them.

Starfire finally sat up and rubbed her dazzling green eyes as she opened them slowly and stared at the two.

"Well?" Jaze asked, referring to his previous question.

Beast Boy licked his lips. "Would you tell her?" He choked, fighting back more tears. "I can't seem to find the right words."

"Tell me what?" Starfire asked curiously, looking worried. "What is the matter?"

Jaze sighed. "It's about Robin…"

-S-

He laughed, reading the newspaper heading over once more before looking to Robin's unconscious figure strapped down to a operation table, blindfolded, and gagged, with his cuts stitched up by Slade.

"_Robin, Leader of the Teen Titans, Dead_." Slade said aloud, repeating the headlines. "You always did seem to make a page in the paper with your friends, but it looks as though this will be the last they'll hear of you until I'm finished with you."

He looked him over, examining the many cuts in Robin's gloves that he received when he climbed the cliff side. It was stained with dry blood, the green mixing with the green to create an uneasy brown. Robin as bloody and bruised, somehow surviving. That was why Slade wanted him. He was a tough survivor that would go through hell if he had to and somehow make it out in the end…impressive.

But his friends would see him. Maybe years from now, but they would in due time. Slade was leaving Jump City in a couple of weeks when Robin was somewhat better in health, but for now he would simply wait and see if the Titans crumbled without their leader like they had when the top three graduates of HIVE broke into their tower and took over. That would make the headlines too—

—_The End of the Teen Titans_.

He looked over Robin once more.

_And the beginning of a new villain…_

-A-

Alex: I told you this was far from over.

Victor: O.O…That's just great. Poor guys think Robin's dead.

Alex: That makes it interesting.

Jaze: Where is Slade's lair, and where is he going to take Robin?

Alex: O.o? Why would I tell you that. That would make you omniscient.

Jaze: Please.

Alex: Not after you dragged me down here—besides, you're supposed to believe Robin's dead too, so get back inside the story. I'm going to sleep.

Victor: Not before we get back to our family. They just called to see how you were feeling.

Alex: (_Yawns_.) Leave me here so I can sleep.

Victor: You can either walk or I'll drag you through the water and the snow the whole ten blocks.

Alex: I'm up! O.O!

_I'll see you guys the next time I feel better,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	17. Chapter seventeen: Hope

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Okay…I'm not tired anymore, so I'm just going to write another chapter and relax…if I can. My back feels so tense and I my leg is killing me again. Oh well, I hope you liked the last chapter. It took me a while to decide what I was going to do with Robin. With the medication and all that I was taking at the time, I actually considered killing him. You know—make it a real good angst, and then have Jaze and Slade fight. But (Sigh) Robin will see the end of the story alive. So, instead, I decided to make him suffer and handed him over to Slade.

Slade: Smart move.

Alex: (_Jumps, startled._) Eek! Stay out of my basement! I hate it when you guys pop out at me like that.

Slade: Get used to it; because I'm here to…insure a desirable ending.

Alex: o.O? For the readers and me or for you and all the villains who want to see the good guys suffer to the max?

Slade: The latter of the two, young man. Now start typing and you just might live a longer life.

Alex: (_Muttering_.) I keep telling Victor to lock the door when he enters the house, but does he listen to me? _Nooooooo_….

DISCLAIMER: Same game my fellow reader and writers.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Hope

She cried for hours on end, locking herself up in Robin's room. Somehow, she was able to keep the door shut no matter how many times Raven tried to pull it down with her powers and no matter how many times Cyborg tried to blast it open with his arm cannon. After a long while, Beast Boy tried to talk to her through the door, but she ignored him as she sat on Robin's bed and stared at the puppet of him the Puppet King created to control their bodies. She should have been there—she should have protected him when he ended up in the house of opera…

Now he was…

_Dead_.

He throat tightened again and she sobbed into his pillow as she dropped the puppet and crushed it in her arms. Not Robin—it couldn't be true. He was their leader and their friend, surviving through thick and thin no matter how hard things became. He stuck to his plans and fought with as much strength as he could muster. They thought he was dead once—and then he almost died on them for real when Slade attacked him through the dust, but he always found a way out.

He wasn't dead! He couldn't be dead! They were wrong! ALL OF THEM!

She tore the pillow apart with her hands and let the tears flow. Strange white fluff floated down to the bed and floor around her and, holding out a hand to catch a bit, she realized it was really feathers.

Feathers…birds had feathers…robins were birds…robin…Robin…

"ROBIN!" She hollered and continued to weep uncontrollably. By why was she reacting so savagely? When her parents died, she wasn't as violent as this, but now…now she found someone she really loved, and she so dearly regretted never telling him that before he died.

The sniffles and hiccups followed as she tried to calm herself, thinking about happier times she had spent with the only human she could say with certainty she loved. He was…gone, but the memories of him were still there.

There was a knock on the door and she tried to ignore it. Unfortunately, it was Beast Boy and he wasn't going to give up.

"Star…"

She covered her ears, but something told her to listen and she did. She waited and…he didn't sound sad. What was he going to say?

"Star…he isn't dead."

She paused. Did she just hear him right—Robin wasn't dead?

Jumping to her feet, she ran toward the door, opened it, and pulled Beast Boy in before anyone else could enter. Then she closed the sliding door again and grabbed him by the shoulders, staring seriously into his eyes.

"Tell me the truth, friend Beast Boy, for I am in no mood for lies."

He looked around and smiled mischievously. "I haven't told anyone else besides Jaze, but I left a short while ago and went back to the ravine…you know, just saying a final goodbye—when I found this!" He pulled out a piece of Robin's glove and showed it to her. "And it was at the top of another cliff—Robin must have climbed back up!"

She took the piece of his tough material from his hands and stared at it through a vision blurred by tears. Could it…could Robin…He had to…to…be…

"Robin is alive…" She breathed softly and Beast Boy nodded. "There is still hope for him?"

"I can't make any promises, Star." Beast Boy said as seriously as he could, a tinge of his own hope just a small sparkle in his eyes. "But we can hope and check it out. Batman may have missed something because he's taking this pretty hard, but you and I believe in Robin. We both know he's the type of guy who'd jump off a cliff, swim to shore, and climb up another cliff even if he had broken ribs."

Even though that scenario was pretty hard to imagine, Robin was still a strong guy. She doubted a person could jump off a cliff, swim, and climb back up another cliff in a couple of hours with a broken rib, but who knew.

"Then we must hurry!" She exclaimed, grabbing his hand and soaring toward the door. It slid open just before Starfire flew out into the hall with Beast Boy dragged behind her in midair. There was always a chance…Robin could still be alive.

-R-

There it was again—the taste of sucking on pennies for an hour or so still in his mouth. Coppery…it left quite a tangy flavor that you focused on first when you woke. Then there was the taste of cloth in his mouth—and don't forget the fact that, even though his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. It was easy to come to the conclusion that he was gagged and blindfolded and he dreaded to move his limbs. Then he was confirmed his last fear—he was tied down professionally to the point that all he could move was his aching head (mind you, not that he really wanted to). Pain came, but it was numbed down by a medication given to him while he was unconscious…

Then the memories came back.

'_You never cease to amaze me, Robin. You live even though you should be dead, and that is something I thought I could only do. Congratulations.'_

He shivered mentally and began to wonder if destiny wanted him to be Slade's apprentice. No matter what he did—no matter how hard he tried, it always turned out the same. He could escape, but he'd always be re-captured by the exact same madman. It was enough to drive him to insanity as well, but he couldn't just give up. Still…climbing to the top of that cliff after all the pain of struggling, only to be greeted with a nightmare…Why him? Out of all the goddamn people in the world, why him? If losing his parents and being adopted by a man as stiff as a board wasn't enough, and then getting shot in the heart by the Joker, he had to get kidnapped by Slade—the worst man in the world. And you know what the funny thing was? He was really getting sick and tired of it—to the point that he felt like just giving. These last few days (or had it been a week yet?) had been the living hell for him ever since he went crazy, compliments of Slade's hallucinogenic dust. It just went from one thing to another…

"They think you're dead, you now?"

Robin froze, not that he had been moving much anyway due to the fact that he was strapped down. He had really been hoping that Slade wouldn't notice him awake, but nothing seemed to be on his side lately. It was all in Slade's favor.

He would have insulted the man or tired to yell at him, but the taste of the gag in his mouth reminded him that it wouldn't matter. Slade would listen to what he had to say only when he wanted to…and that would be _when_?...Not now, that's for sure. Robin could tell Slade was in one of his lecturing moods just by the tone in his omniscient voice. He knew how to push each and every single last one of Robin's buttons and he wasn't going to pass up the chance now that Robin wasn't going anywhere any time soon…

"You may not know it, but you actually had me scared back there in the forest for a moment. I guess you and I like to do the unthinkable."

Robin just tried to block him out. He wasn't even going to attempt to say anything.

"Why the silent treatment?" Slade asked as he took the gag from Robin's mouth. "I know you have something to say, so say it."

"You already know what it is." Robin muttered and waited for a reply.

"Humor me."

"Fine—I hate you. Happy? I know you knew that already so just leave me alone."

"Hmmm…that would be difficult to do, seeing that you are once more under my control."

"Oh really? I don't believe I'm doing anything for you right now. It's pretty hard when you're tied down."

"I suppose…but you should already know that it's necessary." Robin felt a hand touch him gently on his chest where the broken rib was. It wasn't enough to hurt him, but it was enough to remind him of the fighting and the rest of the hell he went through. "You seem to ignore pain when it warns of your death."

"To die would be an awfully big adventure." Robin muttered under his breath. It was a line from _Peter Pan_ when he was about to drown in Neverland, and the fictitious character was right. It made Robin wonder if he was going to heaven or hell when he died. He was a hero, but he wasn't exactly innocent when you considered his Red-X idea…

"Indeed…"

Boy…he really hated not being able to see Slade. The only purpose Slade blindfolded him was to (psychologically) make him feel weak and vulnerable. Well…it was working, and it was starting to get on his nerves.

"Is that why you let go of the branch?" Slade asked, not ready to let him rest in silence.

"Anyone can survive a fall like that." Robin sighed. "Heaven only knows, you fell into lava. Care to share the details on that little stunt?"

"My, my, you have an attitude. Mind you, you always did, Robin. But why the heroics if you know there is no way out of it? We're leaving Jump City as soon as you can be moved without causing more damage, and you're friends—as I said before—think you're dead."

He frowned behind his mask and blindfold. His first escape was thanks to his friends…and so were all the other times—but that was only because they never gave up looking for him. This time they thought he was dead…

Who puts much effort into finding a dead body, especially if they thought he was somewhere out at sea?

"They think I'm dead, but they can't prove it, Slade. Besides, Batman is in the city and he doesn't give up on any case unless he has concrete evidence to prove it. He won't stop looking until my dead body washes up on the shore, and we both know that won't happen unless you suddenly decide to kill me."

"I have my ways, Robin, but death would be too good for your disobedience and disloyalty toward me. I made you think you fought me all those many times ago when really you spared against a robot. If I could make you think it was me, it won't be too hard to make them believe they see you're dead body."

Robin tried not to laugh and instead masked it with a serious expression. "And how exactly are you going to do that? They're going to check the body, and when they find out it's nothing but a bunch of metal tied together, I doubt they'll believe it's me."

Then Slade laughed and Robin held his breath. It figured. Slade wasn't one to jump into something without knowing at least ten back doors to make his escape with. He was just a black storm cloud that constantly thundered between you and the sun.

"That is where everything gets interesting." Slade said with the usual serious mischief in his voice. "Listen well, Robin, because I think you'll make one last Headline before we leave Jump City. I'll give you one last image as a good guy—a hero's ending…and a villain's beginning…"

He tensed and found himself listening no matter how much he hated what Slade told him. It was brilliant when you thought about it, and suddenly he was more afraid then he had ever been in his entire life.

It was going to be the _real_ death of Robin.

-J-

He kept shaking his head, standing on the edge of the cliff as he looked over into the ravine. Beast Boy slithered back up from the rock wall and in his mouth was another piece of the same green material Robin used for his costume.

"I don't see how this is going to convince Batman." Jaze said. "What if he did survive the fall and somehow started climbing back up—he probably fell back down into the river. I don't see him anywhere."

"But what if Slade re-captured him?" Starfire asked innocently, flying up from the ravine and landing beside Beast Boy as he returned to his normal form and spat the piece of cloth into his hand. "There is no sign of Slade either."

"He probably fell in after Robin. There is no proof that says Slade came back from the branch Robin fell off of. And judging by how much armor that guy wears, I doubt he could have swam out of this mess and climbed up after Robin. Think of what you two are suggesting."

"But he is alive." Beast Boy argued stubbornly. "You don't know Robin like we do. We know—"

"Nothing. You know nothing compared to what I found out when I went through Robin's mind. He's fallen before numerous times when he was in the circus, so I can just see him letting go of the branch and pulling Slade after him to kill him."

Both of them paused and stared at him curiously.

"Dude, Robin was part of the circus?" Beast Boy asked with an odd look.

Jaze wanted to roll his eyes, but kept his cool. "What—you think he wears those bright colours because he likes them? It's like the costume he wore when he was an acrobat, and he kept it because his parents died when they fell during an act. Didn't he ever tell you any of this?"

Neither of them said anything. Judging by the shocked looks on their faces, he doubted Robin ever told them anything. Mind you, Robin was the secretive kind of guy who had a lock on some of his memories not even Jaze could break.

"Robin's…an orphan?" Beast Boy summarized. "Is that why he's a Titan with us?"

"The man who is Batman is his father. He learned how to fight to avenge his parents and kill the man who cut his parents wires in their trapeze act."

Starfire looked horrified and grabbed Jaze's arm gently (which was a surprise when you considered her alien strength). "What is Robin's real name?"

"I…" Jaze fought against telling them. He had already pried in and spilt enough of Robin's personal life. "I can't tell you. I'm sorry, but Robin will have to tell that to you on his own."

"Aha!" Beast Boy exclaimed with a grin and pointed a finger at Jaze. "Then you admit it—Robin is still alive."

This time he rolled his eyes. "Fine! Robin's alive!"

Starfire squealed in joy and started hurting Jaze's arm until she let go. "Let us find our dear friend Robin! We must re-begin our search!"

And so they began…again…

-A-

Alex: I'm glad so many people liked my last chapter. And just wait until you see what Slade has planned.

Slade: They will find out in due time.

Alex: Damn…you're still here. What do I have to do to get rid of you?

Slade: Let me win in the end, and I think you will if you know what's best for your health.

Alex: -.- We'll see…

_Until next time,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	18. Chapter eighteen: Dangerous thoughts

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Hehehe…time to bring on the pain. I just went over what I have to do in this story and it just might take a little longer than I expected because I added in the whole "let's pretend to kill Robin" plot Slade has going. But you'll see.

This is mostly going to be from Robin's POV, seeing that his position will be…most interesting. So just sit back, relax, pull out the popcorn, and start reading.

DISCLAIMER: Here's the question: Do I own them………Ha—NO!

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Dangerous thoughts

It was living hell…really—it was. He couldn't move, he couldn't see, and he couldn't say a word—but that wasn't the worse part of it. The pain of his long journey trying to escape Slade and Jaze who-knows-how-many-times was weighing down on him and he didn't know what Slade was giving him in the needles to keep him slightly sedated. His rib was killing him and he ended up with a fever (well—what else would a person expect after falling into a freezing cold river) and it was more agonizing than the cuts and bruises he got from fighting Slade. He was constantly freezing and every bone and muscle in his body ached immensely. There were times when Slade's sedative began to wear off and he almost went unconscious from the sheer pain.

Shivering slightly and sweating cold, he began to hallucinate—something that didn't happen often. At first he thought he was asleep, but he could feel the straps holding him down and he knew he was wide awake thanks to the pain. In the beginning all he heard were his friends calling out to him in the corner of his mind. Sometimes they were crying and sometimes they were simply asking where he was. He was tempted to answer, but the gag made speech impossible and allowed him to make only muffled noises—noises that caught Slade's attention and ended with him getting sedated again. Then the hallucinations became past memories, many of which were of the time he saw his parents falling, or when he was shot in the heart. Everything happened in slow motion and he couldn't close his eyes to block out the sights, seeing that they weren't even opened at the moment

It was the ultimate suffering, and Slade knew it.

Slade worked at the far side of the room—and Robin had no idea how large it was. He hadn't seen it, but he could tell that it wasn't a huge place like a warehouse…maybe something more of a large basement. Slade would talk to him occasionally when he saw that Robin was awake in his feverish state, but he never said anything Robin wanted to hear. He went over the details of his plan and brought up questions of the Titans—_how would they hold out, especially the alien girl?_

God…he wanted to kill that man.

But maybe he was hallucinating that too.

The fever was driving him slowly insane and he lost track of time quickly. He was kept perfectly still by the straps and that was probably for the best, seeing that his body was constantly throbbing with pain. He actually thought he would die—hoping he was dead, really. Not that he would commit suicide (leave that decision to God), but he prayed that it would end. He could feel each heart beat in his mind and he had a migraine like no one would ever believe. He must have been tied down for about a day until he was through with it.

Then the fever broke. It was suddenly, actually…you still felt cold, but it was more of a relaxing cool feeling that spread through-out his body and he could breathe easier. His body still ached (most likely from straining himself too far), but it didn't hurt as much and the hallucinations came no more.

The moment he noticed the fever broke, his entire body relaxed and he stopped straining against the straps. He knew it would do him no good to try and pull against them, but in his pain he wanted to move…stretch out the aches and find someone caring to help him heal. But at least he was well. At least he wasn't dead.

Slade noticed the broken fever too.

Robin was in a semmisomnus (half awake/half asleep) state at that time, having just been given another needle an hour or so ago by Slade, and he felt the straps around his arms go slack. Slade untied him and Robin had half a mind to run right then and there, but he could barely move. Moving brought back the old pain and he doubted he could support his own weight if he were to try and stand on his own. It was all a matter of waiting patiently and regaining his strength the old fashioned way.

Slade ignored the blindfold over Robin's eye and the gag in his mouth and slid a hand under his back, the other under his knees. Picking him up, Slade carried him somewhere nearby; somewhere that he soon learned was a room. He was placed on a bed and Slade left…

It took him a while to muster the strength to move, and even longer to work the knots tied to keep the gag and blindfold around his mouth. But soon it was done and he blinked a few times in the darkness of them room before his eyes readjusted.

Looking around from where he lay, Robin took in the room and soon figured out exactly where he was. It was one of the 'abandoned' (expression put on 'abandoned' for Slade's style) apartment building that was probably older than half of Jump City. It was poorly made in the sense that he was in the basement—where there were no windows or other escapes in case there was a fire. The ceiling was probably a foot taller than Slade's height, and it wasn't solid either, more like the push-up tiles they had in school, made so that a full grown man could climb up there and fix the pipes that ran beneath a thick slab of stone which was the floor of the next level. The room itself was average sized with a concrete floor and a chair and a night stand beside the bed, a closet in the corner. There was a door leading to a washroom and a lamp hanging above the door which held a broken light bulb. In fact, the only light in the room came from the crack beneath the closed door.

Robin looked over the room once more before he attempted to sit up, and that took a reasonable amount of energy. Whatever Slade had been giving him, it was keeping his as weak as a newborn…but it numbed the awful sting of his broken ribs. Sitting, his energy seemed to return and he placed a hand over the broken ribs. Then, lifting the shirt half of his suit, he inspected the bandage wrapping Slade had put there and froze. It was bloody from an old wound…but he knew he hadn't cut himself at any time.

He shivered at the thought of Slade operating on him and shook the idea from his head. Pulling back down his red shirt, he realized how tattered and worn his costume was, blood stains on the areas he knew he cut himself. He was quite the mess and besides the smell of blood he could smell the ointment put over his wounds to stop any infections from occurring. The medication scent was giving him a new headache and it was almost more than he could bear.

Somehow, he managed to ignore it.

His eyes fell on the chair, or, more accurately, what was folded nicely on top of it. It was the black and gold uniform he wore as Slade's apprentice, excluding the armor and the nifty belt, mocking him silently as he cursed it in the back of his mind. It wasn't any mystery why it was there.

There was the small click of a lock, and the door was pushed opened. Robin, slightly squinting from the sudden bright light that flooded into the room, watched as Slade came in with two things. One was a glass of water and the other thing was a small, translucent, medication bottle containing ten small blue pills. These Slade placed on the nightstand by the bed before he stared at Robin, hands now behind his back in his usual stance.

"Take one after you clean yourself up and change." Slade ordered, and, despite his weak state, Robin frowned.

"What are they for?" He asked, not ready to just ingest some unknown chemicals.

Slade laughed. "It's no secret, Robin. They'll put you back to sleep—and you'll take them unless you want me to strap you back down to the operation table and put you to sleep with another syringe."

Robin said nothing in reply to that and watched as Slade left the room, closing the door and locking it behind himself. He just sat there for a long time eyeing the medication and the suit before he found the strength to stand. Despite the bitter taste in his mouth at the sight of the costume, the memory of his feverish pain and the disability to move scared him enough to make him obey. He went to the washroom and showered, changing into the new suit but keeping his original uniform folded up safely in the closet. There was another chair in there and that was what Robin put it on, knowing that Slade would probably throw it out or destroy it if he found it.

Keeping off the gloves and the mask Slade gave him (preferring to wear his own); Robin sat down once more on the bed and stared at the medication. He had a blue pill in one hand and the glass in his other, staring down at his reflection as the water rippled slowly. He couldn't stop thinking about his friends and what they must have been thinking…Did they think he drowned? Did they think his body was out at sea?

Slade stirred on the other side of the door, noticeably pacing close to the room. Although he hated going through with this, he swallowed the pill and washed it down with a few gulps of water. Placing the glass back down on the nightstand, he lay down on the bed on his side to face the door and slipped one hand beneath his pillow to be under his head. A quilt was folded at the base of his bed, but he ignored it…watching Slade's shadow pacing back and forth…Robin was going to think of a plan…and…

His eyelids felt so heavy…his whole body felt heavy and he couldn't believe how fast Slade's pills were kicking in. It didn't take long for him to pass out and, just before he did, he realized why Slade was going to make him sleep. True, it allowed for him to heal faster so that they left Jump City sooner but…

It kept Robin from thinking up of any plans…

-BB-

He was lying on his back in the middle of the forest, watching the red sky as the sun began to set. Here was the end of day two—the second day after Batman proposed the idea that Robin was dead. Mind you, the man wasn't even stopping in the search even though he was the one that assumed the worst. If anything at all, besides Beast Boy and Starfire, he was looking the most.

"You said you knew Robin was alive." Beast Boy said into the communicator, one having been given to Jaze as he helped in the search. "I know you're right…but tell me what makes you so sure."

"_I told you before—I track people by their thoughts. Robin…he went unconscious somewhere further down from where we thought he fell. It was the spot you found the other clues and when he was knocked out…it wasn't a 'dead' knock-out, but a…'knock-out' knock-out, if you understand what I mean."_

"Oh…" Beast Boy sighed. His feet hurt and his energy was draining from transforming too many times in the search. He tried just about everything from a hawk to a wolf to a prairie mouse to find more clues, but Slade was a quick thinker. "Just one more thing, Jaze…Why aren't we telling Batman?"

"_He doesn't need to be told. Somehow he just knows Robin is alive and we have to let him run off of that. He knows Robin out there…we just have to find him."_

"Just peachy, dude."

"_Do you want me to start calling you Relish again?"_

"No…" Beast Boy paused. "Sir."

"_Anyhow—take another look around. Starfire has been searching all around town with me and so far we've got naught. You can call it a night if you find nothing again this time…"_

"Fine…" Beast Boy sighed again and replaced the communicator at his belt once more. He forced his aching body to sit up and took a deep breath. The breeze blew in his face and he took another…

His nose twitched and he sniffed again.

Was it… Could it…

It was old, but…it smelt like Robin.

And Slade.

-R-

As much as he hated being right sometimes, he was right about the pill. The instant he fell asleep he didn't dream of anything—not even a nightmare like the ones he had been having before. And, actually, it didn't seem like he had been asleep for very long. He was just slightly sore and very tired…

Blinking as his vision doubled and blurred, he waited until he could see properly before sitting up. His head felt as though he had been hit with a jackhammer and there was no clock for him to figure the time out. But judging by how his body felt, he had been asleep for quite a while.

Listening carefully, Robin could hear Slade working somewhere farther from the door from were the man preferred to pace. As long as Slade didn't know Robin was awake, he could think of a plan without interruption.

Standing to stretch his legs, Robin began pacing on his own and sighed as he tried to think of a way out. It was possible…but sure didn't seem that way right now. There was only one door (Slade was on the other side of that) and the damn building didn't have a window for a fire escape. The only way out was through the room Slade was working, but Robin couldn't exactly just walk out and past him.

Damn that man.

Robin ran a hand through his short spiky hair and stared up at the ceiling, wishing that an answer would just fall on his head. In way…it sort of did…

He looked at the chair in the corner and paused….Slade would hear him if he climbed on top of that, so he had to find another way.

Turning toward the closet in a flash, robin quietly opened the door and stood on the chair. Sure enough, stretching, he could touch the roof. Sure enough, the roof was made of wobbly tiles, but cutting through them would make too much noise, and they were glued down. But, if he had something to cut around…

Robin stepped down from the chair and stood by the nightstand. He really didn't want Slade to know he was still awake, but it had to happen.

"This had better work." Robin muttered and knocked the glass from the stand. It fell to the ground and shattered, making a noise so loud it seemed to shake his skeleton. Quickly he picked up a long piece and slid it under the mattress of the bed before he began picking up the rest of the pieces in a growing puddle of water.

Grabbing them, he stood up just as the door opened and Slade came in. He tuned around and felt a hand on his shoulder which pushed him to sit on the bed.

"Awake, I see." Slade said, taking the glass from Robin. "Take another pill, Robin, and watch how you wake."

Well, at least Slade thought he knocked it over when he woke up.

Under the watchful eye of Slade, Robin took another pill and swallowed it, getting dizzy already. He had no idea what was in those pills, but it sure did work…

Blinking hard, he saw Slade's blurred figure walk from the room and lock the door behind him.

Then he was out again.

-S-

Even after locking the door, he kept his hand on the knob and listened as Robin moved to lie down on the bed. After a minute or so everything was silent and it was safe to say that his captive was out cold for another couple of hours.

Releasing the knob, he walked toward a small bin in the corner and threw out the glass, but not before looking at it…He could have been wrong, but it seemed to be missing a piece, and that could mean a number of things.

One thing he noticed about Robin that the boy had in common with him was that awake and alone, he was a dangerous person. Given a moment to think, Robin could make up a plan fairly easy and that was why Slade had to keep him sedated. As long as he slept under the influence of Slade's serums, Robin wouldn't think of anything as he slept. If he couldn't think, he couldn't plan—and if he couldn't plan, he couldn't escape.

But thinking back to the glass, Slade began to wonder…Robin wasn't the suicidal type, despite his jump into the river, but what would he need glass for? He could use it as a weapon, but even Robin knew that wouldn't do him any good in a fight against Slade.

He had a hunch, but he was going to hold back on it for now. He'd just wait and see what Robin was up to…

-A-

Finished! Slade's got a plan, Robin's got a plan, and the others have a plan—all on their own agenda. The question is: whose is going to work?

Victor: (_Laughing head off._) Good glory—I knew you were going to add in the hallucination part! I knew it!

Alex: (_Rubbing temples._) Can we please not get into this? That was…a while ago.

Victor: No—they have to know.

Alex: (_Muttering_.) Stupid…jerk…

Victor: When Alex gets a high fever, he starts to hallucinate. When I came over to visit his house during Christmas, he went to bed early, so his mom and I went to see what was wrong. The kid was yelling at some guy we couldn't see, and it turns out he thought he was at court being accused of a murder he didn't commit. Anyway, when his mom asked him to calm down he started yelling at her and said that she would have to be called to the stand if she wanted to talk. (_Still laughing hard._) Well, me and my brothers picked him up and threw him into a cold bath. He came to his senses in another hour or so… (_Looking around._) Well, I successfully scared him away, so I guess I'm going to submit this chapter. The kid writes what he knows and I believe him when he talks about the pain thing. I think he almost drowned when he was younger, he's done absailing up a cliff, and I know he broke bones in taekwondo. I'm just so glad he wrote in the hallucination part—that was so damn funny in real life. You guys should have been there.

_Currently away, your author,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon,_

_And_

_His cousin,_

_Victor Van Heiring_


	19. Chapter ninteen: Starting

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

As much as I'd just love to kill Victor right now for submitting my last chapter before I could fix it up, he doesn't call me Preacher Boy for nothing. Anyhow, one mistake I made that's a biggy is near the ending at Slade's point of view; he threw out the glass and was thinking about Robin. I meant to write "_Robin wasn't the suicidal type_" but instead I was thinking too fast and wrote "_Robin was the suicidal type_." If that messed you up, I hope this clears you up.

Oh—and I got back at Victor. I _fixed_ his pen at school and exploded on him while we were talking at the end of day. Too bad it didn't explode earlier…it got red ink all over his lap and that was hilarious. Teach him for strapping me down to a wheelchair…

Anyhow, I get reviews faster than I get updating reports, so I guess that means it's a good thing I write the next chapter so quickly. One thing I noticed, however—is that all of you are so different. Sure, all of you say you like my story and I believe that through all the reviews I get, but all of you point out different parts of the story and have different feelings about the characters. I could do a study on that…Ah! Stop me now! I'm going all psychiatrist again!

DISCLAIMER: …I'm running out of different ways to say this. Oh well, you know the game my fellow writers. You all know I'm not taking any claim over TT and anything connected to them, so let's just get on with the story.

CHAPTER NINTEEN: Starting

Beast Boy was sniffing around town, wandering around until he was officially lost. At first he tried to find his way back to the tower, but it was honestly no use. He usually had one of the other Titans with him and they knew their way around Jump City or could fly and redirect themselves. Beast Boy could have flown too, but he was tired to the point where he would just about faint.

The sour taste of defeat in his voice, he picked up his communicator and turned it on.

"_Yeah?" _ Cyborg called from the other end. _"Something wrong, BB?"_

Beast Boy sighed heavily and bit back his pride. He knew Cyborg was going to laugh at him. "Kind of…I'm…lost…"

True to what he thought, Cyborg burst out laughing and wouldn't calm down for another five minutes. Beast Boy actually considered shutting his communicator off before Cyborg took a deep breath and relaxed. _"Man, if this was a show you'd be the small comic-relief guy. How the hell do you get lost in a city you lived in for almost a year?"_

"Just shut up and get down here." Beast Boy snapped, eye twitching. He was in quite the cranky mood. "And, dude—I've been caught on the scent of Slade and his gadgets all day. I can't pin point him, but I can tell he has been doing something in the cit lately."

"_Is that so? Hmmm…I'll get my car and track you down—so don't move. We'll tell Batman and the others about what you found out so far and start out early again tomorrow. And BB…are you and Jaze sure Robin's alive?"_

"Dude, I smelt a fresh scent of Robin in the forest, but he was wet and it was pretty hard to track…especially when I came to the city. Someone must be burning sulfur or something…"

Cyborg laughed again. _"The companies here are always doing stuff like that. Anyhow, I'll be there in a couple of minutes."_

"Sure thing…" Beast Boy breathed and put away his communicator. He couldn't help but think back to Robin…

Where the heck was he?

-R-

Again he felt like someone hit him over the head with a brick and this time it took him longer to regain his vision. Sitting up, he noted the new "plastic" glass of water and something that looked like a sandwich on the nightstand…He took a bite and it didn't taste too bad, but he only ate half of the "whatever" before placing it back down and drinking the glass of water. After eating, his headache subsided somewhat and he could think clearer as the effect of the pill began to wear off.

Putting the glass back down on the nightstand, he knelt on the floor by his bed and slipped his hand between the mattresses…taking hold of the long sliver of glass. He stared at it for a while when he pulled it out. He was going to use it on the large ceiling tile (which, just as an info bit, is about half as long as a fifteen year old is in height), but he would have to make a mental note of pocketing it. So far, it was the closest thing he had to a weapon besides his hands and feet, and a lot of good those would do him with Slade continuously sedating him…

Standing, he quietly walked over to the closet and stepped inside. Once he was on the chair, he stretched up high and, as silently as he could, stabbed the shard of glass into the tile around the end. It might take him a long time, but if he got into the ceiling, he could climb to the far end of the basement and jump down into another apartment. No one was there besides Slade, and he could fins stairs from wherever he got out. It wasn't exactly a concrete plan but…he didn't have much of anything else to do.

He cut at least one quarter way around the tile before he heard Slade pacing again. Usually when Slade paced he came to check up on Robin, and Robin couldn't afford to have Slade find out what he was doing.

Frowning in distress, he stepped down from the chair and made his way back to the bed, hiding the glass underneath the mattress before standing. The door opened the moment he turned around and Slade stood in the doorway with his narrow eye on Robin.

In his hand was another bottle.

Robin sat down of his own will as Slade walked forward and handed him the new prescription. They contained the same looking pills, but they were brown instead on blue.

"Take these instead." The man explained as he took away the other bottle. Robin looked at it and frowned. "Seeing that you don't sleep as long as you should, these will keep you out for longer."

He tensed, but tensing made him realize how sore his muscles still were and how weak he was since that horrible day. The pills were keeping him tired and defenseless, but he ha to take him if he wanted to stay in the room. It might take him a while to figure a way around it, but until then he would have to go by Slade's rules.

Sighing lightly, he opened the medication bottle and took out a pill. Placing the bottle on the table, he swallowed the pill and grabbed the glass of water, washing it down as it already began to kick in.

Putting down the glass, he paused for a couple of seconds before he suddenly felt so…heavy. He blinked a number of times and tried to focus his vision but it blurred and suddenly darkened before eh fell forward.

-S-

Sitting on the bed, Robin began to fall forward, but Slade placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him to the side so that he laid down with his head on the pillow. Robin didn't make a sound and the steady rise and fall of his chest was barely noticeable. He could have been dead for what anyone knew.

Slade's one eye narrowed and he looked around on the floor near where the glass had shattered. It didn't look like anything was left behind, but…

He knelt on one knee and glanced under the old bed. Nothing had fallen and there were no cracks for Robin to hide anything…Slade was starting to think maybe Robin really had knocked the glass over by accident.

There was a high-pitched sound in the other room and Slade stood to leave. Locking the door behind him, he strolled over to his worktable with his hands behind his back and stared down at the timer.

The room he stood in was rather large and empty, walls and floor made of cement while the ceiling was made with pathetic push-up tiles. It was slightly cold, but no one went to the old apartment building anymore and the lights were still working perfectly. He had one long wooden table to hold his inventions to the far side of the room and the operating table in the dark corner off to the side. A monitoring computer took up the other half of the room where he could hack into just about anything and control all he created.

Something, of which, was already planted in the city.

With Robin kept asleep under his control, Slade had time to work on his plan. The first part of his creation was in the city, hidden by his robots somewhere near T-tower. Right now he was working on the explosive that he would attach to it later on. Once he was gone, Jump City was going to go up with a bang and that would leave nothing for Robin to return to. Thousands of innocent people would die, and not to mention his former friends. They would be permanently removed from his way and then no one would be left to save Boy Wonder.

And that included Batman…and that was why Slade had to pull of his plan before the Dark Knight accepted the false fact that Robin was dead and left jump City to return to Gotham. He had one of his Justice League companions watching over his city, but he wouldn't stay away for long.

The JL…that was another thing Slade had to eliminate.

But he was still uneasy.

He leaned against the wall beside his worktable with his arms crossed, the high-pitched whining sound from the machine lowering to a tolerable level. He had Robin, but he knew Robin wasn't going to submit as easily as Terra or someone else…that was actually what made it so entertaining. It was no fun if Robin didn't struggle. This time Robin was his, and he wasn't going to let him go.

But that's where Robin had his own ideas. Slade knew he was hiding something, planning something even though he had only been awake a short while. He could tell that through the way Robin listened to him when he ordered him to take the pills. Robin knew he would be tied down again…but that didn't frighten him as much as something else.

Well, at least he knew one part to Robin's plan.

Robin needed his hands free to do it.

Slade glanced back at the door and smiled behind his mask. Whatever it was that he was planning, it wouldn't work. They thought alike, and Slade would figure out what he was going to do long before Robin would be sure it would work. It was only a matter of time.

He stared again at the small machine on his desk, one of the few things he could end the Titans with. His weapons, his technology…it was his hobby to create them and his duty to put them to good use. His mind was always kept busy when he worked and his hands fashioned weapons some lunatics could only dream to get their hands. Just thinking of the carnage he could cause the world was worth every minute of his time.

But ever since he met the Teen Titans, that pretty much changed. Yes he was malicious and yes he was insane, but he was also an artist of another skill. His job was to take the potential best and _make_ them the best, mold them into something that was beyond what anything else could be. That was his mark, his pride, and he'd be damned if Robin was going to stop him. He was hell-bent on making Robin an assassin, a killer—a thief, a man. He was going to ruin his rectitude, cripple his hope, corrupt his general goodness, and tame his so-far unbridled fiery spirit. Once he unhinged his puerile mind from the dreams all small children fashion in their minds, after he _broke _the fragile structure of his morals, then Slade could put him back together. Tear him apart and then cast the fractures, seam up the gashes, and destroy the dreams. Then Robin would be ready for Slade to perfect and control him—it was imminent. It was going to happen.

He was so close…to having the perfect apprentice, the one who would take over his trade and continue the never-ending chain of the mentor and the student.

He could have killed him…numerous times, actually. Slade could have killed him after he took him from Jaze, he could have murdered him in the opera house, and he could have dropped him back over the cliff edge when Robin climbed back up. That would be cruel—just like his virulent self, but no…just like Slade was meant to be the villain, Robin's purpose was to serve him.

And that would be soon.

-BB-

"I swear to God! I've got something!"

Raven checked over his arms again. "A rash…probably from roaming around all day yesterday in the woods. See any three leaved plants with white berries?"

"No…" He started to scratch his arm and she slapped his hand away sharply. "Ow…I stayed away from those. It has to be something else."

"Nerves?"

"Say what?" He shifted his weight where he sat on the edge of a sick-bay bed. It was still dark outside the window, but soon it would be day three of their search.

"Stress?" She gave him an odd look. "You know—you're worried?"

"Oh…"

There was the answer. He had been worried before, but this was the first time he had ever gotten a rash from being worried. Then again, he had never been as worried as this before. It was a new thing for him…

"Maybe you should lie down and leave the searching to the rest of use. After all, you spent yesterday in the bush—and I heard you got lost when you entered the city."

He noted the small smirk that crossed her face before disappearing and he had to laugh at that.

"Ha! I made you laugh!...Even if it was unintentional."

"Don't flatter yourself." She muttered, but he noticed the second smirk that lasted for half a second. Not wanting to get himself hurt, he decided to pretend he hadn't seen it.

"So…how are the others? I haven't seen anyone but Cyborg since…yesterday morning."

She shrugged, turning toward the tray beside the bed and rubbing some ointment on her hands before she started applying it to his red/green arms. "Starfire has circled the city at least seven hundred times, Jaze and Cyborg are checking out the broken down carnival near the edge of town, and Batman is…somewhere. He's probably in the woods looking for more clues."

"Poor guy…" His ears drooped and he began helping her apply the clear cream. "Has he even slept since it happened."

She paused thoughtfully for a moment. "I think I saw him eat something yesterday, but he walked out the door too fast fro me to see. If he hasn't been to Jump City before, he probably knows it as well as Gotham now."

And what about the guys at Steel City, the Titans East. Beast Boy recalled hearing Cyborg talking to Mas and Menos on his arm communicator, but they spoke only in Spanish. Did they understand what he had been telling them.

Once they were finished applying the ointment, he slipped off the bed and started toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Raven asked seriously, sliding between him and the way out. "You're in no condition to look anymore, and we'll need a couple of people to rest in case something wrong happens in Jump City."

As much as he liked her, and as much as he respected her authority, he stepped around her and didn't even turn his head to look at her when he answered. "Raven, something has already gone wrong in Jump City…We've got to make that right too."

-A-

Alex: Hmmm…if I'm right, Slade's plan should be revealed to you in the next chapter. I know this is taking a little long, but you have to consider how long things are taking for Robin, seeing that Slade's keeping him doped up. But don't worry, you might think the plan is brilliant, or you might think it's absolutely insane. I don't mind.

Victor: Did you know people print off your story?

Alex: (_Startled_.) When did you get here?

Victor: About…five minutes ago. Well, did you?

Alex: O.o? Somewhat…I mean, people usually tell me when their doing that.

Victor: That's still against the copyright!

Alex: What the heck are you talking about? If they want to, let them. Besides, I don't have a copyright over this.

Victor: I SAY IT'S WRONG!

Alex: (_Rolls eyes._) Let me guess…you're preparing for the next Speech and Debate Competition, eh?

Victor: …How'd you guess?

Alex: (_Laughing hard_.) Trust me, Victor—it's not in your type of character to have a good sense between right and wrong. Your morals are different, and that's why the line between good and evil for your personality is so thin.

Victor: (_Muttering._) -.- Little witch…

_Bowing goodbye (for now),_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

_And,_

_Victor Van Heiring_


	20. Chapter Twenty: Dead

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Alex: (_So happy, he can't speak._)

Victor: If none of you know what the heck he's so happy about, my uncle finally fixed Alex's lap-top. It's ten times as fast as it was before and he can get more writing done.

Alex: (_Hugs Victor until he can't breathe._) YAY! It's fixed! No more basement! I won't have to worry about the steps anymore!

Victor: O.o? What about the stairs between the main floor and the second floor?

Alex: -.- Jeez, Victor. Ruin the mood why don't you….

Victor: Quite yapping so you can keep going—Oh, and by the way you guys, Alex still has a long way to go. He has no problem with anyone printing off his story (as long as you don't sell it to anyone) and…I think that's it.

Alex: One last thing, people. Remember this one word—

_Jaze_

DISCLAIMER: Hmmm…let's try caveman style: Me. No. Own. Or is that out of character for me…?

CHAPTER TWENTY—

Victor: That far already?

Alex: Yes. (_Shoves Victor aside._) now let me write…As I was saying…

CHAPTER TWEN—

Victor: I mean, this story is as half as long as your Blast series, and you just about have the same amount of reviews to it.

Alex: So, it's more popular?

Robin: Can we get on with this? I want to escape already.

Alex: Yes—let's.

Victor: Did you know you have the same names?

Alex and Robin together: YES!

Victor: -.- Jeez, bit my head off, why don't you?

CHAPTER TWENTY—

Victor: Alex?

Alex: (_Rubbing temples._) What is it now?

Victor: Someone's…behind us…

Alex: Huh?

Victor and Alex: (_Turning around together, shout out in surprise._)

(_An eerie silence ensues……………_)

CHAPTER TWENTY: Dead

He didn't notice his wrist was beeping until the loud whining sound faded yet again after creating another unpleasant migraine for him to avoid. It had been doing that for the last half hour and he was starting to wonder if it was going to explode anytime soon.

Ignoring the noise, he could have slapped himself for not hearing the beeping earlier. It was a timer set to warn him when Robin would wake up next, and how long ago had that been. Robin could already be trying to think something up. Knowing the boy, that was exactly what he was doing…

Slade put down his tools and walked toward the door on the far side of the room. Opening it, he stood in the doorway and stared at Robin who, much to his annoyance, was awake. Min you, he was paler and looked like someone had dragged him a hundred times around the Whitehouse, and even looked slightly startled when the door banged opened. In his hand was already another brown pile and he was eyeing it dreadfully.

Thank goodness he had just awakened.

"Take it already, Robin." Slade ordered and he leaned a little more into the room, looking as though he would grab Robin if he refused. "You know what will happen if you don't."

"So I do…" Robin sighed, his voice hoarse and barely audible. It was obvious he wasn't doing to good, but that wouldn't be for long. Tonight Slade would go through with his plans and he could focus the most of his attention on Robin. That meant less sedatives on Robin's part.

Reluctantly, Robin swallowed the pill and washed it down with the water beside the bed. It didn't take long before he passed out again and lay on the bed as still and silent as ever.

Waiting a moment more, Slade finally left the room and locked the door behind him. He waited again on the other side of the door to listen for movement, but Robin was as good as dead. In a way, he was going to be tonight.

Well, to the Titans he would be.

His plan was so simple and obvious, the Titans wouldn't notice it at all—not even the legendary caped crusader would guess Robin wasn't dead. Quite simply, Slade was going to do to them what he did to Robin.

It was so brilliant, he had to smile again…

-R-

Never swallow a rock. No matter how small and smooth it may look, it hurts like hell on the way down your throat and it tastes like dust…and dust doesn't taste too swell. Boys and girls, quite frankly, don't put anything inside your mouth unless your parents state it's edible and good for your health. That includes the gum you find under the seats at school, and the yummy medicine I used to mistake with a sauce my mom put on her ice-cream.

Rubbing his chest, he sat up and waited until he heard Slade working away at whatever again before tip-toeing toward the closet. With the glass in hand, standing on the chair, he started on the ceiling again and, seeing that the pill was supposed to keep him asleep for hours, he knew he had quite a lot of time to make his way out of here before Slade noticed he was gone. Thank goodness for that.

So, there he stood, stretching his arms up high for an hour until he felt like they could fall off. Not to mention his ribs weren't felling to good. But, all in all, he finished his work and quietly lowered the tile to the floor (it's about half as tall as him), slipping the sliver of thick glass into his belt. Then, listening as the annoying high-pitched whistling sound grew louder outside, he waited to see if Slade was coming before grabbing the ceiling and lifting himself up inside.

Dust…like you wouldn't believe. He coughed, but covered his mouth and squinted his eyes until they adjusted to the new darkness. It was a maze in the ceiling, with large round pipes and electric wires running along in lines toward the areas where they met walls. It would take him a while to get from one side of the building to the next, but as long as Slade was busy, he had the time.

Sighing quietly to himself, he started off to find his escape route.

-S-

What the hell was wrong with it?

Throwing down his tools once more and ignoring the robot for now, he turned around toward the small square think machine. It was a tracker of sorts, something he could use to trace something even if it suddenly flew to Jupiter. He had no idea what was making it whine like that and he had tried to take it apart numerous several times, so far unable to make it stop. He would have liked to just throw it out a window on the main floor, but he had absolutely no idea if it would explode on him or do something worse.

To put it plainly, this was not one of his better inventions.

He muttered a curse under his breathe and smacked the side of the head-sized machine on the table. In response, one of the key parts blew off and went soaring toward the ceiling at a break-neck speed. Instead of pushing a tile up, it went straight through it, leaving a hole in its stead.

He rested both hands on the table and glared at the annoying contraption with his one eye. Shaking his head slowly, he finally stepped back, wound up his fist and—put it through the tile next to the hole and grabbed hold of the board. With one hard pull, the tile fell and he threw it over the table, stepping up on his table to see into the ceiling.

There!

He grabbed the odd shaped scarp of metal and jumped back down off the table, coughing as he set it back down. This was going to take a while, not to mention he ripped part of the ceiling off. Who knew what was creeping around inside of there…

Slade did and double-take and looked up above at the gap. Sticking his head up there only moments before, he saw how much space there was for a person to crawl around with. Not to mention the ceiling tiles were as flimsy as construction paper…But Slade would have heard if Robin put his fist or anything else threw the ceiling. He'd need something to cut it with, but he didn't…

Unless it was a thick piece of glass.

He ran toward the door and opened it quickly, leaving it alone as it slammed into the wall beside the entrance. He glanced at the bed and, lo and behold, Robin was gone.

He looked around the room, eye darting to find some sort of clue as to where he was. Then he saw robin suits in the open closet and the tile…

-R-

That scared him half to death. He didn't know what had happened (not able to see beyond the thick walls of pipes), but that blast sounded like a rocket going through the roof. Well, at least that awful whining sound stopped.

He rested for a while, lying on his stomach as he waited for the pain to subside in his chest. His ribs were hurting again and he was finding it hard to breathe with all the dust in the air—then something banged against to his left where the other incident happened. He could hear Slade moving around and then silence…and then Slade ran somewhere else, but Robin couldn't tell where exactly that was from up in the ceiling. His guess was the door out to the hall which led to the stairs to the main floor.

Boy was he wrong.

He started again but passed when he heard Slade storming around beneath him. What the heck was he—

Robin didn't even have time to shout when the fist came through the roof and grabbed his ankle. Slade's grip was stronger than steel and Robin though for a moment that Slade was going to break his bones as he tried to wrench his ankle free. Then another fist came through the tile and this one simply brought the whole thing down.

Suddenly falling, Robin was suffocated and blinded by the thick cloud of dust that settled around him and Slade. But Slade didn't need to see Robin as the boy felt the back of a hand meet his right temple. He saw stars over a black background and was instantly flipped over onto his stomach, struggling feebly as one of Slade's knees pressed into his lower back. His right wrist was grabbed and his arm was bent at the elbow, pinning the hand beneath his shoulder blades. Before he could reach for the glass at his waist, Slade grabbed his second wrist and pinned it with the first, holding the both now with one hand.

"Very impressive, Robin. You almost got away with it this time." Slade whispered into his ear as rope tightened around his wrists. Robin tried to flip onto his side, but Slade pressed his knee harder into his back, receiving a gasp of pain from the boy as his ribs ached beneath his weight. "I only figured out your plan just now."

"Let…go…" Robin said between clenched teeth, trying as hard as he could not to shout out. The dust was beginning to settle but his eyes were still watering. "Get…off…"

"In a moment, Robin. Be patient."

He started to squirm again, but this time Slade released the pressure as he finished with Robin's wrists. Then a hand slid under Robin's chest and he noted the rope in Slade held, swiftly circling it again around Robin. He wrapped it around him as he forced him to sit up, doing it to keep his hands pinned painfully between his shoulder blades before he tied it in a knot between his back.

"Honestly, Robin, I don't know who's crazier—the people thrown in prison, or the people who throw them in. For a hero, you sure act like someone who's seen war and lived to tell the tale."

Robin didn't have time for a quick remark as a cloth found its way into his mouth and was tied sharply behind his head, the same as the blindfold that followed. Then he was pulled to his feet and hoisted over Slade's shoulder, the assassin taking him back to the room. The next thing he knew, he was thrown back onto the bed and began to struggle as Slade walked away, but the time alone was short spent as he heard the man approaching once more.

"Bravo for the show, but I'm afraid your training will have to wait until later." Slade said close to Robin. The next thing he knew, his shoulder was pinched with the end of a needle. "I will be back soon, and then we'll leave. Seeing that you're so eager to leave, I suppose now is as good a time as any."

"_No, Slade—don't!"_ He tried to shout, but the gag muffled his every word to the point that even he couldn't understand what was just said.

"Say it later, Robin. I'm off to see your friends."

"_STOP!"_

But it was too late. His vision darkened and he could faintly hear Slade walk away, the door closing with a creak, and the sharp click of the door as it locked.

The last thing he felt was the shard of glass pressed against his side, going unnoticed to Slade.

-J-

It was dark again and still they had nothing. Batman was leaving tomorrow back to Gotham and that was when the search would officially be called off. Even Beast Boy and Starfire were having trouble proving to themselves that Robin was alive—or even if his body was in Jump City. It was too late to assume he was alive and well, and then there was the point that they had no concrete evidence that Robin was still alive. It made the last couple of days look like a lie…a lie that someone who mattered was still alive.

"Where the hell are you, kid?" Jaze muttered beneath his breath, standing on the edge of a building as he gazed down at the rather busy street. Robin's death had been quite the news lately and a tone of people still talked about it. He could hear someone talking about it right now down on the sidewalk below him.

"_Hard to believe, eh, James?"_

"_Too bad, isn't it…I heard he was only about fifteen anyway…And after all he did."_

"_Do you think they found his body yet?"_

"_Nope…they're going to stop tomorrow."_

He shook his head. As much as he wanted to tell the two young men that they were wrong, in a way…they were right. Maybe Robin was dead and they were simply acting upon hope…

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

He jumped and nearly dropped the communicator as he pulled it out of his trench coat pocket. Pressing the button, he stared down baffled at the face of Cyborg.

"Why is it beeping like this?" He asked before the mechanical boy could speak. "It never did that before when someone called."

"_It's an emergency call. We've got a call downtown near 94th and 131st."_

Jaze looked at the intersection near by. "I'm at 89th and 130th. Would you like some help."

"_Hmmm…I guess you're neutral like Red-X and Catwoman…well, if you want to that would be great."_

"Good." He muttered as he slid the communicator back into his pocket. "I need to take my anger out on someone."

Walking to the edge of the roof, he jumped down the ten stories and landed with his knees slightly bent on the ground below. The people around all back away, wild eyed and startled as he started to run across the street. If he was quick he could make it there in about fifteen minutes…

-St-

"You've got to be kidding me…" Beast Boy said, standing just below where she levitated in the air. Starfire couldn't believe it either…

The commandos stood in a semi-circle before them, staff raised and laser guns aimed at the four young heroes and caped crusader. They had met only moments ago on the corner of the street after searching the city one last time. They had meant to say what areas were checked and where they would go next, but their conversation was rudely interrupted as a car exploded down the street. No one was hurt and the people had all fled by now, but that still left the matter of the villain.

Hands charged with starbolts, Starfire could barely contain her fury as she stared down at the robots. They belonged to _Him_ and she hated _Him_ for what he had done to Robin. The world would have been better off without _Him_ ever being born.

"Where is _Robin_!" She yelled, and the lasers hummed to life. She and her companions took their fighting stances, lined up against twenty or so of Slade's robots. She had no idea what possible reason they could have for being there but, knowing Slade, there soul task for the night was to kill the Titans and the Dark Knight from Gotham.

The timing was perfect and both teams charged at the same time, but it was abruptly paused when one of the robots threw down a bomb between the two groups. It tore up about half of the road and created a cloud of dust so thick around them that it felt like hours before she could see again.

And what she saw was a mechanical fist coming toward her face.

Squeaking like a girl in panic, she didn't have time to move aside as the fist connected with her head and sent her reeling back to trip over a fallen Beast Boy. They lay in a heap on the ground as five robots advance around them, lasers aimed and humming.

Thrusting both hands forward, her starbolts knocked three of the robots back, breaking one in half at the waist, while Beast Boy transformed into a tiger and pinned down one in a split second.

That left the fifth one which she couldn't see coming up behind her and grabbing her hair as it yanked Starfire to her feet. It pressed the barrel of its laser gun to her back and was about to pull the trigger when—

She fell forward and closed her eyes tightly as the robot was body checked away from her. Slowly opening them again, she rolled over onto her back to thank Beast Boy and—

"…Robin?"

He was kneeling on one knee, a hand held over his left side where he could have possibly broken a rib. He was paler and cut up pretty bad, his uniform not looking too good wither. But she didn't care.

"Starfire…" He said, his voice strained with the agony of great pain. He somehow made it to his feet and stood before her as she levitated and landed before him. "I need to—"

She captured him in a hug and buried her face into his shoulder as she began to cry. Then a hand was placed gently on her back and he hugged her too.

"You are not dead—I knew it! You were never dead!"

"Ummm…that last sentence doesn't seem to make much sense, Star…"

She laughed and released him, hearing the pain amplified in his voice. "But what is it you need. A so called medic?"

"That would be nice." He grinned, but then his expression turned serious. "But you guys have to leave. Slade is—"

"ROBIN!"

Starfire looked to her left and saw Cyborg bash one of the robots in the face before running over to them. "Man—I knew you had to be alive!" Cyborg exclaimed with a grin of his own. "There's not much in this world that could beat you!"

Starfire looked around at the others who had also noticed. One she saw smile briefly was Batman—who high-kicked a robot in the head and whipped around with a karate-chop to the neck of the one behind him. As much as he would have loved to talk, they still had a problem.

"Duck!"

All eyes turned to Beast Boy as he went flying into Cyborg and knocked him a good ten feet away. Dizzily, they sat up and rubbed their heads as the battle continued.

"Watch out, Star!" Beast Boy yelled, pointing to something behind her. She didn't even turn her head before she was pushed aside and fell to the ground. There was a chocking sound behind her and it froze her heart as he turned on her side to see what had happened.

A robot with a bo-staff had charged, thrusting its weapon forward in an attempt to stab Starfire. The task had been a failure as Robin pushed her aside, standing in the way as the robot lunged forward at a speed faster than that of mortal beings. The thrust of the staff had been even quicker and it took its mark at Robin sternum, impaling its way threw his chest and clean out his back. Both fighters stood still as Robin choked up a small amount of blood, held up by the end of the staff…

And Starfire was lost for words…

The robot moved again and this time slid the staff out cleanly from its victim, standing still as Robin fell to the ground. She didn't hear anything right then and there and nothing seemed to matter anymore as she lunged at the robot and tore it in half down the center as she gripped it by its shoulders. Then she spun around and started on another robot and another and another…

Until they were all lying on the ground like Robin.

Falling to her knees beside Robin, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him to her. She rocked back and forth slowly, his head hung forward lifelessly over her shoulder…And she cried…endlessly…

-B-

He stood in shock behind the rocking girl, his vision slightly blurred as though he were walking in a dream. He couldn't think, he couldn't speak…he could barely believe what he had just seen. Turning around the moment he destroyed all the robots around him, Batman just caught sight of Robin as the boy spun around and spotted the robot, pushing the girl aside before the robot could stab her. It was a brave act if he had ever seen before, but right now it seemed like a horror. Robin only chocked on his blood as he stood , impaled. And then he fell lifelessly to the ground when the commando took its weapon from his body. Now, just like his parents, Robin was dead…

Richard Grayson, son of Bruce Wayne, was dead…

-J-

He had no idea what was going on, but he was nearly there when he felt the ground shudder and saw something glint to his left. Startled, he transformed into his shadow self and melded with the darkness of the nearest alleyway—the one in which he spotted something interesting.

There was Robin, a hand over his waist as he slowly jogged down the alleyway toward the opening to the street. He was bleeding from his side, wearing a black suit with half his chest gold as he paused for an agonizing breath. Pale and thin, he looked to be on the verge of fainting, his wrists bruised from what looked to be rope marks.

As much as he wanted to step out and help Robin, the sharp pain at the back of his head warned him to stay hidden. He really did want to help him, but he was low on energy form sleeping zero hours for the last couple of days. Now that he thought about it, how had he even jumped off the building a few blocks away?

He was right to stay hidden, even if he did want to move. The slow, but loud footsteps sounding in the dark made him shiver mentally as Robin's masked eyes grew wide. The boy leaned weakly against the wall of a building with his back, gazing back the way he came as Slade stepped into the light.

"Still running, Robin?" Slade asked casually, hands behind his back as he approached Robin. The boy seemed to be dizzy, almost as though he had just woken from being sedated. "You know it won't do you any good. We're leaving right now, whether you like it or not…"

Three of Slade's robots dropped down from the roofs above and blocked Robin's only exit out into the street. Even if they hadn't been there, Robin looked to be in no condition for running. He was trapped and he knew it.

"I'm not going anywhere." Robin snapped, his voice weak and hoarse, sounding to be quite sore. "Leave me alone, Slade. I'm not giving in."

"Give it time, Robin…_give it time_…" Slade laughed, stopping as he stood only two feet in front of Robin, trapping him between himself and the wall. "Once they die, no one will possibly be able to save you."

"They'll figure it out Slade." Robin argued. "They knew what happened to me when you used the hallucinogenic dust—they'll catch on."

"No they won't, Robin!" Slade yelled, grabbing the boy by the arms just below the shoulders and lifting him off the ground. "_You're mine, Robin…You're mine…"_

"_NO!_"

But no one heard the boy as he was carried off…

Well, no one, that is, save for Jaze…

-A-

Victor: O.O!...I'm speechless…

Alex: Why?

Victor: I knew you have the guts to kill characters in your stories, but you ended this so…so cruelly…

Alex: **IT'S NOT OVER YET!**

Victor: What do you mean? You ended this chapter to…I don't know. It's just so…

Alex: So cruel that I possibly could?—I know, but I have a long ways to go. I just like seeing Robin suffer.

Victor: o.O? that sounds odd coming from a guy whose first name is Robin too.

Alex: I know, that's why I sometimes get confused when I receive reviews or e-mails talking about the subject. But, of course, I still have plenty more to write. I was originally going to end it this way, but that would make my readers suffer.

Victor: No kidding…it gave me a heart attack.

_Seeing you again soon,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

_And,_

_With his heart still racing,_

_Victor Van Heiring_


	21. Chapter twentyone: Impressing

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Victor: (_Yawning._) Good glory, Robin—it's two am! Can't we sleep?

Alex: You know, you can leave any time you want. You live two blocks down from here. **_ANYHOW_**—I made the last chapter nice and long for you guys, so no one is allowed to bite, punch, kick, or flip me—and I don't care if you take judo or whatnot. I'm only a green belt in taekwondo, but I'll fight back, even if I die!

Victor: Someone's wide awake tonight…

Alex: It's the insomnia.

DISCLAIMER: God glory, I'm running out of ideas….

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: Impressing

He didn't know what to do—follow Robin or get the other Titans. They would know what to do and he needed them anyway seeing that he himself was in no condition for fighting solo. This would also prove to them that there dearly departed was as 'gone' as they thought he was.

In his shadow form, he slid out from the alleyway at a fast pace and transformed back once he was running along the sidewalk toward the intersection of the street. From what he could see, a heck of a lot had gone on without him, a large cloud of dust still settling long after the explosion. But, seemingly, the Titans and the Dark Knight were victorious.

Then why was Starfire crying?

Running into the dust, he backed away instantly and sneezed forcefully a couple of times, wrinkling up his nose at the scent. Damn—that wasn't just debris and whatnot—there was some sort of chemical in it. But, seeing that his villain form was entirely diseased, nothing affected him besides giving him a little dosage of pain.

"What in hell's name is going on here?" He asked; stopping next to the one called Raven. They were all gathered in a circle around the alien girl who was rocking back and forth from her sitting position on the ground. She was holding an invisible friend.

"He's dead." The goth girl choked, shaking her head slowly as she attempted to keep him powers under control. "He was stabbed in the chest and died when he saved Starfire."

Jaze paused and looked around, leaning forward a tab bit to see around the next corner down the other street. Pausing, he frowned behind the bandage wrapping at raven in confusion and shrugged. "Uh…where is he?"

She gave him an odd look and pointed to Starfire. "There—in her arms."

Jaze's frown never left as he knelt down beside the weeping girl and stared at her arms. Truth be told, nothing was there.

"Are you guys doing this in spite of the fact that I'm a villain, or is there something else going on here?"

Batman, for once looking sad, turned his head to him sharply and frowned menacingly. "Perhaps you need your eyes checked. Look right in front of you."

Then there was a little detail Jaze remember, something he recalled Robin saying to Slade before the madman snatched.

'_They knew what happened to me when you used the hallucinogenic dust—they'll catch on!'_

'_No they won't, Robin!'_

But what was that part about them dying? Slade said that once they died, no one would possibly be able to save them. Was he going to hurt them through the hallucinogenic dust as well, or was he hoping that they would eventually pass on from other matters.

His bet was the dust.

"This…" Jaze pointed to the invisible person, fighting to find the words to explain. "This…_image_ is not Robin. You think it's Robin—but he's back in the alleyway just—"

Beast Boy was one of the last people he imagined would have attacked him. It was so sudden, Jaze didn't even see the changeling transform into a tiger before he had Jaze pinned to the ground, snarling in his face. There was an inhuman look in his eyes—and even though Beast Boy wasn't human, he always had a look of a humble and merciful child in his eyes. This was not the same Beast Boy. Something was changing him…

"Just leave, Jaze." Cyborg said in a deep, frustrated voice. He didn't even bother to look at Jaze. "Go before we decided to arrest you…"

beast Boy transformed back into his humanoid self, but the beast remained in his eyes as he stood off Jaze and allowed him to get up Brushing himself off, Jaze couldn't believe what he was hearing and seeing. They didn't believe him…they weren't going to believe him all because of Slade and his dust.

Jaze paused and time seemed to freeze as he racked at his brain. When he went inside Robin's mind, he recalled seeing the memories of a hallucination—something of an image of Slade caused by a dust. It was slowly killing him, his stress level rising of its own accord as he either battled or searched for the fake Slade. Even when he wasn't fighting the man, the dust continued to kill him.

"Damn you, Slade." Jaze cursed beneath his breath, staring at the alien girl who was doomed to die in a couple of days. He needed to find an antidote or something that would allow for him to heal them, but anything of that sort would be in Slade's possession.

As was Robin.

Things just kept getting better and better…

He turned around and started jogging away, glancing over the shoulder at the five lost souls. He was a villain in the beginning—so why shouldn't he just let them die. He could still save Robin and just forget about them…He could finish what he began and nothing would be his problem anymore.

Maybe it was guilt. He felt it was his fault that all this happened. If he had never taken Robin in the first place, he would have never been trapped back at his house and Slade would have never had grabbed him. Then that led to all the suffering Robin must have gone through to escape who knows how many times, and he almost succeeded a few moments ago if not for Slade.

"Why the hell did you have to pick on that poor kid?" Jaze muttered, picking up a glimpse of Robin's thoughts to track him by. "What the heck did he ever do to you?"

-R-

He was cold and he was quiet, not saying a word as he sat at the back of the boat in a lower room. He could hear the water sloshing against the side of the boat as Slade's robots loaded his things and made haste to leave. This was the end of the line and Robin knew it.

Sitting on the floor in a corner of the room, he leaned his head against the wall and pulled the blanket closer around his shivering body. He could barely stand without getting dizzy from all the sedatives Slade loaded him up with, and that alone prevented him from escaping. Besides, the window was too small for him to fit through and a robot guarded the door to the room out in the hall.

The doorknob moved and the door was opened as Slade walked in. He took a seat in the other corner on a chair, staring at Robin as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. Robin wouldn't do so much as look at the man, letting all his hate toward the man boil up inside his chest and fade out as he tried to think back to happier times.

"Again with the silent treatment? That's quite unlike you, Robin."

He didn't say anything, ignoring the man as he stared at the opposite wall. He wanted nothing to do with the man but, seeing that that was impossible now, the most he could do was pretend he wasn't real until they reached their next destination.

"You will answer me when I speak to you, Robin. I don't care what you think."

"Since when did you ever?" Robin asked plainly, still not looking at him. "You don't care about a thing."

"I care enough to see you become something better, and yet you continue to think it's horrible. Why is that, Robin? Why does my little apprentice not want to become something greater than what he already is?"

"Don't call me that." Robin hissed and narrowed his eyes at the wall. "I don't care what you think, you have nothing against me."

"Is that so? All it will take is a well placed bomb and I can blow up quite a few people. Your friends might be able to take care of themselves, but you devoted your old life to saving people. Are you going to stop now?"

"You contradict yourself, Slade."

There was a pause.

"And how so?" The man asked, leaning back in his chair with his legs crossed.

"You want me to become a thief and a murderer, yet I'll only be listening to you to save lives. You'll make me destroy your blackmail."

Slade began to laugh and Robin shivered mentally. He hated it when he did that, but there was no stopping Slade and his pans. Slade had seen that coming.

"My dear boy, that is what life is all about. It's not about quality, but quantity. I could give you a gun and tell you to shoot someone, _and you would_—if I had my robots aimed and ready to kill a larger group of people. You'd save them, yet you'd be killing someone else at the exact same time and you'd be stuck in an ever-lasting circle until you accepted the fact that you were meant to kill. Robin, isn't it obvious by now that were supposed to find me and let me led you along—you've tried to escape who knows how many times, and yet you are still here…My apprentice, what is going on inside your head that can't be fixed?"

Robin thought about that…What was the purpose God or fate created that intertwined him to the imprisonment and influence of Slade. True, he had tried to escape numerous times, and true, he was back where he had started…What was he supposed to do? Was he to give in? Was he to fight until he died? Who was he trying to impress…?

"You can't even give me an answer, Robin." Slade said with a small laugh, the boy remaining silent. "That's because the answer is—there is nothing. Nothing in that mind of yours can't be fixed and that was why I was allowed the chance to mend it. I can set you right Robin, but you have to realize that yourself."

"And what would you have me call it?" Robin muttered. "Brainwash?"

"Hmmm…more of a road to recovery. That old mentor of yours turned you in the wrong direction and now he's screwed you up…" Slade leaned forward with his elbows on his knees again, sounding serious once more. "Let's re-cap, Robin—you've tried to impress him and all he ever saw were your faults. You fought crime, you brought in the rightful justice—and the moment you came close to losing a limb he broke apart your team…or was it even ever a team? He wasn't your partner—he was always your master."

Robin frowned and resisted the urge to hit Slade. His state of weakness stopped him, but not so much as the fact that Slade was right…Robin hated to admit it, but Slade was right…

"You left and then, when things went wrong, he threatened to take you back to Gotham. Did he ever compliment you on your team's job, or thank you for ever helping him?...No. Did he ever just asked you what you thought or if you ever wanted his help—No! Hell, no! And all this time you've been trying to impress him. You wanted him to see you as a man and all he saw this entire time was a small boy…"

Robin's frown lightened into one of worry. All those questions had been rightfully answered by Slade. Was Robin really trying to impress his old mentor…was he trying to prove to him that he was really a hero and could handle things on his own…and Batman stared right over that all and ignored it entirely. All he saw was another young child who could get killed.

"You might have never impressed him, Robin…" Slade continued, something in the whisper of his voice that made Robin listen. "…But you sure did impress me. Isn't that saying something—doesn't that mean something? Things just don't happen for a reason, Robin, and that's why our paths crossed. They both lead in the same direction, so just walk with me so we can see the glorious ending of all this...What does that mean to you…"

Robin turned his head slightly to look Slade in the eye, only seeing him before in the corner of his vision. "I think...that you're wrong. I don't know how, but it's all wrong…"

-S-

Stubborn, wasn't he? But that made it all the more worth his while. That meant, when Robin did submit to him…it would mean something…it would mean a lot. Robin was the most foolish and strongest person Slade knew of his age, and that was saying something. That was why Robin had to be his apprentice.

"The correct answer is right in front of you." Slade said simply, not at all affected visibly by Robin's damn answer. "Give it time and it'll come to you…after all, you'll have quite a few years to think about it…"

The boat jolted slightly and Robin almost slid from the corner as the boat started up. They were leaving the docks and would arrive at their next destination soon—somewhere rather far from Jump City.

Saying nothing more, Slade stood and headed for the door, locking it behind himself as he started down the long hallway toward the stairs to the deck. But he paused when he thought he saw something move in the corner of his eye…

Turning his head slightly to the left, he stared at the shadows…maybe his imagination was getting the better of him. After all, he had been rather busy trying to make sure everything went according to plain. The Titans were dying, Robin was coming with him, and no one was there to stop him.

He hoped.

He was just a little tired. Staying up for nights on end, it had been quite the task to keep Robin sedated—but even then Robin almost managed to escape. The second time Robin actually got away, the boy almost made it to his former friends before Slade stopped him in the alleyway. Must have had that shard of glass still on him…

Shrugging of his worries, he started back down the hall and up the stairs. Things were going smoothly…

And he'd be damned if anyone tried to stop him…

-A-

Alex: Another chapter—another chapter! Yeah!

Victor: I think I should steal your lap-top. It's time for sleep.

Alex: I'll send this in tomorrow, then—but I got another chapter done over the weekend and it was all thanks to my wonderful lap-top!

Victor: I wish you didn't have insomnia…

Alex: What's wrong with insomnia? My grades are at honours, I'm physically fit, I have no problem with other people…I just don't sleep as much as other people unless I take that medicine for my knee.

Victor: Big question here—does anyone in your family know you have insomnia?

Alex:…I think my older sister does, but I don't think the medicine that makes you sleep. I get nightmares of my family dying when I do…

Victor: You never told me that.

Alex: You never asked—and why would I tell the guy who bleached my black hair white?

Victor: It still turned out nice…

_Supposedly going to bed now,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon,_

_And_

_The ever-annoying,_

_Victor Van Heiring_

Victor: Hold a sec—'ever-annoying?'

Alex: Oh—just go to bed already!

_Until next time._


	22. Chapter twenty two: Admitting murder

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Alex: Big news, people…and not even Victor knows what it is…hehehe…

Victor: O.o? What…What is it? How big is big?

Alex: Big is a big word.

Victor: Just tell me! It's killing me!

Alex: Well, as some of you already know, I've been meaning to add a book four to my Blast series…but I had two possible plots, and I can make one fit into the sequel of Not Again…

Victor: _A SQEUEL! Yaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!_

Alex: But that's all up to the readers…Do you want a sequel? The thing is, I make it easy for my readers and just attach the sequel to the back of this story. That way you won't have to go hunting for it.

Victor: Is Jaze going to be in it?

Alex: It all depends on what you guys want…But I think I will. Jaze if sort of attached to the story. He's like another cousin now.

Jaze: Thanks.

Victor: -.- Taking over my job, now are you…

DISCLAIMER: I wish I knew how to say this in Latin, but I forgot…**Ego sum non fabulam dominus**…I think that's how you say it. In translation it should say 'I am not the owner/master of the story.' I'd say 'show' instead of 'story' but they didn't have television back in the good old Roman days. If someone can correct me, please do.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: Admitting murder

He was the type of person who had a tough stomach, but between thinking over the things Slade told him and the swaying of the ship, he felt like he's lose anything that was inside him at the time. He just stayed their in the corner of the small room, staring at the far wall as the boat continued onward to its destination. Slade had left him a while ago, but he was sure to return once he was finished with everything else. There was no way Slade was going to pass up a good lecture to Robin.

'_You look down, kid. Could it be the weather?'_

Robin paused and strained to hear over the washes sloshing against the side of the boat. Did he just hear someone? It was so loud, almost as if it was in his head, but it could also be because of the drugs. He hadn't taken any recently, but there was always a down after to them even after you stopped.

'_I assure you, I am real, Robin.'_

"Jaze?" He asked quietly, not sure if anyone was on the other side of the door listening.

'_The one and only.'_

"Where are you?" He said a little louder, now sure that it was the old villain he was talking to. "Where are the others?"

'_The others are currently under the influence of Slade's hallucinogenic dust. They're all a little over-aggressive and believe you're dead.'_

"Go figure. That much I already knew."

'_I came alone, but I should warn you that your friends are going to die soon if we don't hurry…Where's Slade?'_

"Somewhere…" Robin said, standing and walking quietly over to the door. Pressing his ear against the hard wood, he listened. "Are any of his robots in the hall keeping watch?"

'_Maybe you should just stay here.'_

"Or maybe I should lure Slade down here. He'll come if he thinks I have a plan to escape."

'…_True. You wanna act as a decoy?'_

"Eh…more or less. I just want to kill him, but that goes against my morals. The most I can do to him is get my revenge and send him to jail."

'_Are you sure you're not having fun here?'_ He joked, and Robin rolled his eyes behind his mask.

"The kidnapped cannot easily find solace in the afflictions of being captured and imprisoned. Unless, of course, they get the Stockholm syndrome."

'_Suit yourself. Personally, I think you'd make a better villain.'_

"Gee, _thanks_…"

'_Okay, okay—quit complaining. I'll be right back…'_

"What are you going to do?"

'_Just wait and see…'_

-J-

He was a shadow, and no body ever pays much attention to a shadow—especially Slade's robots, two of which _were_ standing guard outside the room. They probably heard the entire conversation, but they were simply there to stop Robin from leaving—that's all. As long as nothing went wrong, Jaze could get this done quickly.

'_Do something to get their attention, Robin.' _ Jaze suggested; a shadow out in the hall. _'Make some noise.'_

'_Got it.'_ The boy thought back and there was a long pause…

_BANG!_

That even startled Jaze and it sure made the robots jump. There was a dent in the metal door, followed by a second one when Robin hit it again. Whatever he was doing, it was working.

One of the robots pressed a button on its wrist, a little red light blinking when he touched. The other robot grabbed the doorknob and turned it to enter—the door slamming in its face as it was knocked off its hinges. Robin stumbled out into the hall, looking pretty tried from all his effort, and stared at the second robot in surprise. Apparently he only thought there was one.

Jaze switched back into his solid, mummy-ish form when the robot grabbed Robin, coming up behind it and taking its head into his hands. With a quick twist he broke its neck, throwing the head to the ground as it released its captive.

"Thanks." Robin whispered…then they listened. "He's coming."

"Stay out here." Jaze explained, forming back into his shadow form. _'Look like you want to fight.'_

So Robin just stood their in the hall as Slade rounded the corner at the end and stopped…one eye narrowing at the boy. Hands placed behind his back, Slade slowly started forward. "Still trying to escape? You really do need help."

"Save it, Slade." Robin snapped, taking up his fighting stance. "I'm going to put up a fight for as long as I most possibly can."

"Even when your friends are dead?"

"Even after."

"Then I guess you wouldn't be interested in the antidote."

Robin frowned. "You don't want them alive, so why would you care about letting me have an antidote to your dust."

"I don't know, Robin." Slade said plainly, still coming closer. "You tell me."

Robin took a small step back, still prepared to fight. He almost looked like he would faint for a moment, not in any condition to battle, but Jaze was waiting for the right moment…Slade thought he was going to win another small match, but he'd only be losing the war.

"Tired, Robin? Maybe you should just sit down again. This can be settled quickly if you just relaxed. You know your body can't stand another fight."

"I'll still try." Robin argued, taking yet another step back as Slade loomed dangerously close.

"Trying isn't good enough, and you already know that. Did you really think—"

Jaze slid up into his normal form directly behind Slade, hands still in-between his villain and shadow transformation. Black goop slid from his hands and dripped to the floor as Jaze reached out to grab Slade. He reached for his throat and—

Slade spun around with incredible speed and threw a punch at Jaze. The doctor barely had the time to dodge his head to the side as the fist came for his face, a second following only half a second later. This one caught him in between his glowing red eyes and his head snapped back painfully as he fought to regain his vision.

Damn, that hurt.

Stumbling back he expected to be hit again, but by the winded sound Slade gave it was evident that Robin had something to say about the match. Finally blinking the stars away, he opened his eyes just in time to see Robin soaring in his direction, catching the light boy in his arms as Slade raised a hand to his black and gold mask. There was a rather large crack drawn from his one eye down to the chin…

"You're going to regret that, Robin." Slade growled, his eye narrowing as he straightened his posture. He was the type of man to keep a level head and a lot of patience in times of war. "But for now…"

There was a humming sound behind Jaze as he let robin stand, and he turned around the moment the robots took fire. Three red lasers caught him in the gut and sent him flying back into the enemy, hit in the back of the head once he came into Slade's range. Dizzy, he sat up off the floor with a hand on the back of his head, watching the pale boy struggle in the grasp of a robot. It had him by both arms and was trying to drag him back into the room.

"What drove you to come here?" Slade asked, stepping over Jaze and stopping a short distance in front of him. Turning around sharply he continued. "I know you're not infected by the dust—that was one of the disadvantages of having you with a diseased alter-ego. It can't be because you care…you're too insane for something as that."

"I'm not exactly a bad-bad guy, Slade." Jaze muttered, standing and adjusting his wide-brimmed hat, then his trench coat. "I have a soft spot for kids and I seriously doubt Robin wants to spend the rest of his life with you."

There was a muffled replied from Robin who, despite his efforts, was wrestled into the room by the three robots before the door was slammed shut behind the four of them. So far it was just Jaze and Slade.

"Tell me, John." Slade said in a casual voice, referring to Jaze with his real first name. "Did you cry when your son died?"

How did Slade know about that? Jaze escaped from Slade long after he had his son and hadn't seen him again until he came across Robin. But this was Slade, and the man knew a lot of things a person didn't want him to.

"Of course I cried." Jaze said just as casually, and that was the truth. What man would not cry for the death of their child. "Cancer is an awful thing to do from."

"Was it cancer? Or was it _murder_…?"

Jaze paused…Jaze was psychotic and _yes_, he did kill his wife—but he never killed his son. There was a bond he had with his son that just about killed him when David died. He knew he never killed his son and that was something Slade couldn't confuse him about.

"If you think I murdered him, you're wrong." Jaze corrected, his voice a little edgy after such an accusation.

"I never said that." Slade replied, something mischievous in his eye. " I just said he was murdered."

Jaze said nothing.

"Tip off the doctor to make sure something goes wrong and the operation is doomed to fail. It's the simplest way to kill someone."

His heart just about stopped when he heard this, a lump growing in is throat until he could barely breathe. Slade couldn't…he didn't know…there was no possible way…

"You killed my son…" Jaze said quietly, summarizing everything Slade was leading him to.

"Revenge, John. No one steals something from me and gets away with it."

He didn't need to hear anything more. This man…no—this _monster_ deserved nothing more than to die, and Jaze was going to make sure of that. He didn't care if Robin wanted to lock him up in jail—Jaze wasn't a villain, but he also wasn't a hero. Nothing was going to stop him from breaking this _thing's_ neck.

"You'll regret ever telling me…" Jaze's red eyes grew brighter for a split second before they narrowed ominously. "You'll regret ever knowing my real name…"

-A-

Alex: Don't worry people—Robin will also get his try at Slade, but we have a little vengeance to get over first. Eh, John?

Victor: O.O! I can't believe this…you used my real name…my _whole_ real name as the villain's name…How could you?

Alex: Honestly, if I would have known you were moving to Canada to assist me with my stories earlier, I would have never had Jaze called Dr. John Manning. That was by fluke because it was three am and I couldn't remember where I heard that name before.

Victor: What? Did you have another fever?

Alex: Most likely.

_See you guys later,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

_And,_

_Slightly upset, but okay,_

_Victor Van Heiring_

And by the way. If **Remix17** or** OtsegoSpartan78** are reading this—**GET BACK TO WORK! I'm been waiting forever for you guys to update…**


	23. Chapter twenty three: The power of the m...

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Alex: You know what I hate?

Victor: What?

Alex: When writers are really rude to their readers. They tell you not to read their story if you don't like it, and if you review it—even nicely—they bit your head off. I'm going to stop giving people the 'Standing ovation' rating because they're abusing it, and this means they have to earn it now.

Victor: Whoa…someone actually _(censored)_ Alex off…Wait…Did you just censor me?

Alex: -.- I'm in no mood today, cous. Either wash your mouth out with soup or get over it.

Victor: O.O…Sheesh…

DISCLAIMER: You know the drill.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: The power of the mind

Meditating, she had to run to the deepest corners of her minds to run from her emotions. Sorrow wanted to have a word from her, but Raven couldn't afford to listen. As much as she'd like to cry, that just wasn't possible.

One of the clay sculptures in the corner of her room suddenly shattered and she cringed slightly as she tried to regain control. This was proving to be quite difficult.

Sitting on her bed, legs crossed, she tried to focus on other thoughts to keep her mind from wandering. But there was a pain in her gut, and she felt hot and edgy…like she had the fever. The others in the tower were all resting or (as in Starfire's case) crying their eyes out. No one felt good and they couldn't blame them, Batman leaving a short while ago in his jet with Robin's body.

What a mess this was turning out to be.

There was another sharp pain in her stomach and she cringed again. It was so painful, but it wasn't from her blocked up emotions. It was something else…she was ill…

Another stab of pain came and she fell off the side of her bed, her mind sent swimming in a pool of endless darkness. Slowly going unconscious, she tried to keep herself focused.

What was going on?

-S-

He had no idea? Honestly—he didn't know? It almost made him laugh…and he did. He could see Jaze shiver slightly from the mocking sound, those red eyes pinned vengefully on Slade. But it was the truth…

Slade killed David Manning.

It wasn't hard either. John left and Slade watched, too upset to know what to do with the doctor when he escaped his imprisonment, taking the new technology with him. And Slade would have done something too until he saw John use the technology on himself, becoming a test subject Slade could watch. All in all, the new invention was both a wonderful success and a horrible failure. It gave the person powers—powers that could be kept under check…but the mind was diseased and became too unpredictable, even to the one who possessed the powers. John went slowly insane and Slade eventually lost interest in the technology.

But not before he had his revenge.

He kept a small watch on John and, after the murder of his wife, Slade knew it was time to see what was truly precious to the doctor (seeing that his own spouse couldn't convince him not to kill her). Then he saw John's son…a young child no older than one with a brain tumor. It wouldn't kill the child if it was removed in surgery and Jaze, able to afford it, took the chance to save his son.

Slade found out when, where and who, giving the surgeon double of what Jaze paid for the operation to go wrong. It did, and John just about committed suicide. From there he moved on…

Until today.

And he would sorely regret ever setting foot in Jump City.

Regret ever getting involved with the Teen Titans.

And Robin.

Quite plainly, he had much to regret now that Slade was going to deal with him.

"It's such a shame…" Slade sighed with a small shake of his head. "That you tried to escape. I'm not afraid to admit that you have a brilliant mind, doctor, and you could have created more if you lived longer. It's really too bad you had to meet the wrong person at the wrong time."

"Talking about Robin?" Jaze spat, the two men taking a step toward each other cautiously. "No. I don't regret anything I ever did besides meeting you."

Slade had to laugh out loud at this, sending another shiver down the doctor's spine. "You really act sure of yourself. I wonder why? Do you think just because you killed a couple of people, you could stand a chance against a mercenary? I've been doing this job for years…."

"Murdering, stealing, kidnapping—I can believe that. Ever lose a kid, Slade? Ever been responsible for the death of your children?"

_Grant._

_Joseph._

Slade unknowingly took a step back after that statement, startled momentarily. True…Too true…He had been responsible for the deaths of his sons, Grant and Joseph Wilson…

That stung…Literally, that hit hard made its mark.

"So you have?" Jaze said, callously, eyes glowing brighter as he finally figured out Slade's weakness. "That's all I needed to know Slade…that's all I needed to know…"

-J-

Robin's weakness was the noticeable concern he had for the well-being of his friends. His team was his fuel to drive them hard to victory, his family—both that was dead and made him reborn—was the stake that held him up even when the worst of times rained down on him. They gave him the fiery spirit not even Slade could put out with harsh words and brutal beatings, but it was his greatest weakness. Not only in the form of blackmail—but once you knew something that wedged itself deep into the corners of a person's mind, you can slip into their head and look around at just about anything else. That was how Jaze attacked Robin in Wayne Enterprises and read all his memories—Robin's astonishment in his team disloyalty opened it up and Jaze slid inside…

He never knew anything about Slade before, only ever seeing a cold hard man with an iron grip over what he claimed and controlled, and a wicked eye on the innocence of the world. Slade's mind was off-limits—something locked up tighter than anything he had ever seen before. That was, of course, until now…when Slade showed a sign of past pain…guilt, perhaps? Children…for almost every person in the world, their children were the closest thing to them, and even through hate there was still a hidden love that could not be destroyed.

Yes…even a man as inhuman as Slade could love.

"What were their names, Slade…?"

Slade's one eye narrowed, but all the fear he pushed into Jaze had fled the moment he saw the man take a small step forward. Suddenly, he wasn't so big…he wasn't so ominous…just a man who wanted revenge.

'_Grant and Joseph…and Rose.'_

"Grant…" Jaze repeated, reading Slade's mind. The not-so-mad madman took another retreating step backward, the narrow eye now wide. "…and Joseph…and Rose—your daughter? But she…" He looked harder and no matter what Slade did, he couldn't get Jaze out of his mind. Strength, speed, agility and strategies weren't going to save him this time. "But she was the daughter of your second wife…quite similar to the mute, your second-born, Joseph…but he called himself Jericho…"

"_Stop it!" _Slade hissed forebodingly. It almost scared him out of Slade's mind, but he held tight and continued to pry. "How do you know any of this?"

Jaze tapped his right temple twice with his index finger. "It's all in your head, Slade…you're an open book just pleading to be read."

"I told you to stay out…" Slade started forward slowly, closing his mind to Jaze.

"You use ninety percent of your brain…your whole body's been advanced…and…" Jaze's own eyes widened as he himself began to retreat. "You're…you're…_immortal_…"

_Grant died as the Ravager—_

_Joseph died as Jericho—_

_His throat was slit—_

_That's why he's mute—_

_Rose was the final Ravager—_

_Addie shot me in the eye—_

_Shot many times—_

_Never died—_

_Fire wouldn't do the trick—_

_Needed someone—_

_When I go down, someone can stop me—_

_Needed someone—_

_To always watch while I was down—_

_Teach them—_

_Train them—_

_Give them what I had—_

_Robin—_

_Escaped—_

_Terra—_

_Stone—_

_Dust—_

_Robin almost died—_

_Can't die—_

_I can't die—_

_STOP!—_

"STOP IT!" Jaze cried out, still stepping back, hands holding the sides of his head as he shut his eyes tight. The pain…too many memories…so much suffering…

_Stabbed my son—_

_A sword through his back—_

_Out the chest—_

_Found HIVE through Grant—_

_Failures—_

_They're all failures—_

"STOP IT!" He cried out again, yelling at the top of his lungs. Slade was forcing his thoughts into Jaze's mind, exploiting his own weakness.

"_Isn't this what you wanted to see…wanted to know…Here I am, John…look—discover what makes me such a monster…"_

_Should have stopped in the beginning—_

_Quit the army—_

_Hunted after that—_

_Didn't quench my thirst—_

_Deathstroke—_

_Deathstroke the Terminator—_

_Joe almost died because of me—_

_That was why Addie shot me—_

_Addie died—_

_I lied—_

_Live off lies—_

_Became what I am—_

The pain was fatal…he had no idea how he was holding out. It felt as though someone was trying to split his head open with an axe, taking their sweet time to get a lousy job done. It was enough to bring him to him knees. He sat back on his feet, his hands still holding his aching head. There was just too much… He had his own memories, Robin's memories, and now Slade was shoving them all out…

"_You have a brilliant mind doctor. It would be such a shame to kill you…"_

_Robin followed—_

_He was always trying to stop me—_

_Came when I separated them—_

_Alone—_

_Thought he won—_

_Lost to save his friends—_

_I found my apprentice—_

_The perfect apprentice—_

_They saved him—_

_For now—_

"Stop…s-stop it…S-Slade…" He choked; his voice almost too soft to hear. He couldn't see the man, only hear and feel him in his head as a million memories and nightmares crammed into his mind. "Too…much…"

"_Your powers are impressive…I think you can handle more."_

No more…please—_no more!_

_Terra—_

_Lost and forgotten—_

_Gave her a choice—_

_She accepted—_

_Another apprentice—_

_Not as good, but she would do for the time being—_

_Disloyal—_

_Went against her oath—_

_Tried to kill me—_

_Wasn't the first to try—_

_Lava—_

_I lived—_

_She didn't—_

_Stone—_

_Dead—_

He fought to breathe this time, hands dropping to his sides as the glow in his eyes faded. He sat up still, feeling Slade's hand on his forehead covering his already blinded eyes.

_Robin—_

_Dust—_

_Survived—_

_Survivor—_

_Still my first choice—_

_Had to get him—_

_Almost had him—_

_Had him—_

_Almost lost him—_

_Now he's back—_

_My apprentice—_

_No escape this time—_

He felt like he was dying, the pain slightly subsiding to be replaced with an aching numb. He was cold and hot, tired and wide awake, so weak…so weak… the only thing that held him up was Slade's one hand that prevented him from seeing.

He wanted to die.

"_You won't die…I may still have use for you, doctor…"_

God…no…

-A-

Alex: I know…a lot of people are bugging me to complete the Blast series…I'm getting there, but I have to think up of the initial attack. You get to see HW's two younger brothers, the twins Kyle and Vincent, but, as you already know, my OC's are usually not main characters if they are good guys. Jaze is originally a bad guy…so…yeah.

Victor: And the sequel?

Alex: Drum roll please. I read over the reviews and other e-mails, coming to this conclusion…

V

V

V

V

V

V

V

V

V

V

V

V

V

V

Yes.

Victor: took you long enough! And Jaze?

Alex: If he lives.

Victor: O.O…What is that supposed to mean.

Alex: I can't tell you. I still have a story to write.

Victor: But…you killed HW in the other story…

Alex: (_Evil Grin._) Johnny, it creates an unbearable suspense for the readers and that's what keeps them reading. If I can't get them to be curious or worried, I fail as a writer.

_Until next time,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

_And,_

_Curious,_

_Victor Van Heiring_


	24. Chapter twenty four: A man

Not Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Alex: I have the last chapter of Blast: Book Three to write, chapter two of Impromptu to write, the next chapter of Slade's Tale to complete (yes, I had to write about Terra), Not Again to wrap up so I can write the sequel ('Again' How ironic, eh?), and something has got to be done about the TEOMEIAFOM (_the enemy of my enemy is a friend of mine_). That damn story has got to have the worst writing and the longest title on this web-site. Sheesh…

Victor: Then take a break from Not Again and let the reader's wait an agonizingly long amount of time for the last chapter to pop up.

Alex: I can't…last night I sent in chapter twenty-three and I already got eight reviews in one hour…sigh…not to mention someone new read the whole thing, reviewing it every three chapters. That really filled up my e-mail box when I got alerts for other stories and more reviews for 'my' other stories. A lot of people read…

Victor: I see…well. Wrap this up, wrap Blast up, finish the next chapter to Impromptu, delete TEOMEIAFOM—then rewrite it, and finally sit back and relax while you finish the Slade's Tale chapter.

Robin: I'd love to, but now I'm addicted to Not Again. It's going to be hard—not to mention I realized sharing an account with Kacey (a girl I co-write with) on bebo confused a lot of people. I have some serious things to sort through…

Victor: Very well…just write.

Alex: Okay, but it's now time for one of my **THANK YOU** antics. This is to all the people who _ever_ reviewed this story so far…

**A SPECAIL THANKS GOES TO… Kuruna Icefire, Infamous One, tootsieroll64, Remix17, Insaneiac The Maniac, DigiDestined of Courage, "…" **(I get too many of these type of people, if you ask me)**, Insanity 101, fwuzzfwuzz, Rebel-Aquarius, PixieGirl13, Aeris-Raven, KaliAnn, cutegirlkem, Jaina 12, Farmqt, Crazy Girl Person, **_Blank Space_**, Dark Protector, Neo-moose, aprun, Callista Miralni, gianluca de duonni, ttchaku, drkng625, Sabrina (Sab), Queen-morganalefay, Dark Canine 69, Samasii, Star-Elie, Damusen, Kacey J. Mackowetzky **(you wrote a very mean review—and don't forget that I know where you live!)**, rokikiro** (I know where you live too, so don't call me a girl. You're friends with Kacey, my cousin from my mother's side)**, JBTheMan, farlygodmother440, AND asuka02redeva! FOR…** reading and reviewing. For those of you who don't have an account—get one! And to those of you who haven't written any stories yet—get working! You know you can count on me to review every chapter!

Victor: Kacey's…you're cousin? What—from your mom's side?

Alex: Yep—now let's get busy! Oh—**AERIS-RAVEN!** You were _not_ the person I was talking about. I reviewed someone else's story and I told them I liked it. Then they reviewed mine and gave me an separate e-mail letter pointing out all the flaws in mine and telling me to shape-up or ship-out of the writing world (screw that). But I'm glad you keep reminding me, otherwise I would have abandoned Blast altogether. I can never thank you enough for that.

Victor: Did you just say _(censored)_….You did it again!

Alex: (_Grinning._) He he he…

DISCLAIMER: Hmmm…didn't own them the last time I checked.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: A man

---

"_We're born crying, and when we've cried enough, we die"_—from Akira Kurosawa's, _Ran_.

---

_He's alive_. Starfire kept telling herself, fleeing from the T-tower a short while ago. She wasn't feeling too well, but she knew a good flight always made her feel better. She was coming close to the park by the docks, the abandoned area where the carnival was when it was in town. That was where Starfire and Robin road the ferris wheel…that was when she almost admitted her love for him…

Tear streaming down her face, she soared out past the park and out to sea. Maybe she could drown and see Robin in the human's so-called afterlife?

Maybe she would tell him then…

-S-

He passed out almost right after Jaze did. He released the man's head and allowed Jaze to fall to the floor, stumbling to the side and leaning against the wall for support. The pain…he was sure Jaze felt more of it, but it had been such a battle to keep himself as the one in control. Somehow he succeeded and he didn't even know how. Jaze…Jaze had more powers than what he expected.

_Grant—_

_Joseph—_

_Rose—_

_Addie—_

_Lili—_

_Pat—_

_Wintergreen—_

_Explosion at Capital Dome—_

_Became younger, but no memories—_

_Another—_

_Memories returned—_

He placed a shaky hand on his forehead, trying hard not to focus on the pain as his vision doubled. It was almost too much for him to bear—something that was new to him. As much as he hated to fail, he knew how to avenge and even out the odds again, but this…this was a gash that could never be stitched. His mind…all those memories he wanted to forget and _pretended_ to forget came rushing back and it was _killing_ him…His breathes were fast and uneven, his heart racing a thousand miles per hour in his chest. He could feel it knocking against his ribs, adrenaline rushing through his veins as his entire system became confused and thought the battle he was fighting was physical. It was like a rush…a rush of every emotion he had ever experienced, jumbled together to create a wild confusion that was not easy to escape. He was seeing his entire past happen all over again.

_Lost—_

_Won—_

_Lost—_

_Found—_

"Goddamn you, John." Slade muttered, blinking his own good eye numerous times as his vision returned. He stared down at the doctor's limp figure, still in his villainous form. "You must really like pain…"

He straightened—still a little wobbly, but not ready to admit it—and ignored the doctor. His robots would find him sooner or later and either tie him up or kill him. Slade didn't care. As long as he was quiet for the rest of the trip, Slade didn't care…

But he still had other things to do.

No doubt Robin had something to do with all this.

Cracking out his neck, he walked slowly down the hall (more to regain his balance) and stopped at the door to the room. He pushed the door opened with a little rough force, still a little _off_ from the stroll down memory lane, and pointed into the hall when he saw his three robots.

"Out." He commanded, and they obeyed quickly.

Ouch…it felt like he was drunk…or like he had a hangover…

Once they left, he stepped inside and locked the door behind him. Robin was lying on the ground on his left side, propped up with his hands as he spat out blood. Stress? Maybe a hit to hard to those ribs of his?...Slade would have to check on it later.

Walking over to the table, he took up his old seat and leaned forward on his knees like he usually did to stare at Robin. The boy paused after a short amount of time and wiped his mouth before sitting up properly and leaning him back against the wall. He was on the point of passing out and Robin knew that.

"Jaze…" Robin started before coughing again. One of Slade's robots really did a number on him. "He's…"

"He's alive." Slade sighed. "Though I beg to differ. He'd be better off dead, anyhow."

Robin was silent, chest rising and falling visibly as he strained for breathe. Not it was very apparent something was wrong with his ribs again as he struggled to breath.

"You sound like you're dying." Slade laughed, rubbing the palms of his hands together slowly as he stared at the boy. "But I can assure you that you'll live, so stop giving me the death glare and call it a day already."

Robin continued to frown despite the order from his master, but had no witty come-back for that remark. Quite frankly, neither knew what to say. Robin was in too much pain for a lot of thinking or talking, and Slade's mind was running over past events again out of his own free will. Had that much really happened in his life…?

Wintergreen…he had to find his old army friend Wintergreen. Actually, he had a lot of things to do and right now he'd have to start at the top of the list…

"How did he find out you were here?"

Robin said nothing. He was talking about Jaze—and he knew Robin knew that. His ignorance was because of his attitude.

"Answer me, Robin…" Slade growled, not in the mood for Robin's defiance. "Either tell me or I'll go back out there and kill him for good this time."

Robin's expression lightened ever so briefly, but the battle within raged on. Finally, he broke out with an answer.

"I…don't…know."

Each word was coated heavily with venom, but Slade believed him. Jaze said he could read people like open books—Slade could too. Though in pain, Robin showed no signs of lying. Even the look in his masked eyes was honest.

And how was it that Jaze wasn't affected by the dust? The Titans and the Dark Knight would be dead by tomorrow, but that left Jaze. If Jaze knew about that, then he would try and find the antidote.

Robin coughed again and Slade was torn from his train of thought. He was still a little groggy from the journey to the back of his mind, but he kept his attention to what was happening around him. And it looked like Robin wasn't ready to give in to unconsciousness again without a good fight.

Good boy.

"You look…" Robin paused for another cough, a spit's worth or blood coming from his mouth and staining his gloved right hand which covered his mouth. "…Defeated."

Startled, Slade sat up straight and leaned back into the chair. How could Robin tell that…and what made him look so…so…defeated? What would possible make him look defeated. He wore a mask for goodness sake!

"I'm far from defeated." He fought, hiding his shock expertly. "You should already know that."

Robin laughed weakly.

Robin was laughing at _him_? _Laughing_? He should hardly be the one to do such a thing in a situation like this…

"I wear a mask to cover my eyes." Robin started, working his way toward an explanation. "Your eyes tell everything…You wear a mask, Slade…but I can see your eye."

Eye widening in response, Slade paused to think about that. Masks were designed to hide and fool…hide and fool…but the eyes told all. What use was a mask if it didn't cover the eyes?

What good was his mask.

Slade had nothing to say, and he was really stumped for words when Robin reached up and took the white-eyed mask from his face, resting it on his lap as he finally opened his eyes.

"Ask away Slade. Isn't this what you wanted?...To see my core and break it? You enter the mind through the eyes, and now is your chance…Go ahead. I dare you."

He would never tell a soul the colour of Robin's eyes, but looking into them he saw no hate or fear. They were gentle and alive, clever and quick, dangerous and bold…Robin's eyes were serious like an adult's, but excited like a child's despite the agony he was in. It wasn't the age that made a man, it was the mind, and by telling what he saw in Robin's…Robin acted far beyond his age.

He was a worthy adversary.

"I guess I never expected this…so early." Slade finally admitted, reaching behind his head and taking off his own mask. He slipped it off and put in on the table, staring back at Robin. The look on the boy's face never changed, but the brightness of his eyes dimmed.

Was he disappointed? Was he afraid? This new look was…unreadable.

"What is it?" Slade finally asked. "A mask for a mask. Were you expecting someone else?"

"I see you…and I realize I know nothing about you. All I saw before was cold hard metal, and now that it's gone…I see a man. A human being—not a scarred up monster, though the white pirate patch over your eye kind of suits the bad guy appearance. I actually thought someone who acted with such experience would be…older."

"I was almost killed, and that took me back quite a few years. I'm much older than what I appear."

"I see…failed experiment?"

"It didn't fail."

"And I bet you don't even cry."

"Untrue."

Robin paused, frowning slightly in confusion. "_Humph_—you cry? Since when?"

"We're born crying, and when we've cried enough, we die. I am human, and I will always be human until I can cry no more. You cry—I know you cry because you're still a boy, even though you hate to admit it. So do I, and, even though rarely, I still cry too. I cried when my family died."

"Too many people with dead families…" Robin said, thinking back on something. "It's odd that they always end up as heroes and villains."

"Even yourself." Slade added and Robin looked worried for a moment. "Yes, I know about the fall your parents took. The costume gave it away. Besides, you and you're old mentor are not the only people who research their enemies."

"Then you—"

Boy Wonder was suddenly interrupted by the beeping of Slade's wrist. And this time it wasn't a timer.

It was an intruder.

How they found him he would never know. Either someone was out at sea, or someone else was flying over top of them.

Slade stood and reached to his belt for something. From one of the pouches, he took a small vial filled with a dark blue liquid which he set down gently on the table. Robin eyed it curiously as Slade replaced the mask on his face.

"I'm a patient man, Robin." Slade said as he made his way toward the door. "In the end, you will see things my way, and, in the end, you will stand by my side. Today, however, we stand on No-Man's Land."

A hand on the doorknob, he lingered to say one last thing…

"And…If I _ever_ see you again, Robin, I _will_ make you my apprentice and there will be _no_ escape. That's a promise…"

Then he was gone.

-St-

Rage…it was the raw power she possessed to smash every robot in her way as slowly destroyed the boat. She wanted to find Slade…

She was going to kill him.

But she found someone else.

Below deck, she came to a hallway and stopped short when she saw Jaze stand off the ground. Red eyes closed, he rubbed the back of his head and muttered something awful before noticing the alien girl.

"Jaze!" She exclaimed in surprise. Not quite believing her eyes. "Why are you—"

"In there." Jaze interrupted her, pointing to the door to her left. "He's in there."

Slade?

She hoped so.

Kicking the door opened, she almost broke it off it's hinges as she stormed inside and—

"R…Robin…?"

He looked up at her and…his mask…it was…his eyes…they were…no mask…he…she…

"Robin…you are…not dead?"

He grinned like he usually did and she could tell he was real. "No, Star. I'm not dead."

She was lost in his eyes—the colour and the spirit in them. She had seen nothing like it before in other human eyes, but his eyes were different. They showed that he was unbreakable…untouchable. His spirit was off-limits to the twisted minds that wanted to shatter it, and the love in his eyes called out to her.

Falling to her knees, she broke out crying.

-R-

It was hard to stand but he managed until he knelt in front of her and hugged her, closing his eyes as he rested her head on his shoulder. She uncovered her eyes with her hands and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing tight enough to tell him she loved him but not so much to kill him. It hurt his ribs, but he ignored the pain entirely.

"I love you…" Starfire said softly, almost as though she were afraid to admit it.

"Starfire…" He smiled and laughed gently. "I love you too…"

-J-

All in all, the ending was a happy one—save for the part where Slade escaped. When Robin refused to tell them the details, Jaze almost threatened to go roaming through his mind again, but after his trip through Slade's head…he wasn't too eager to exercise that power again.

Batman was called back in and Robin mysteriously produced a serum to the dust that infected them. Many of them looked as though they were going to die before Jaze, Star and Robin returned to the tower, but the serum seemed to have quick effects. Even the pale half-demon girl had more colour to her cheeks than usual.

"Where'd you get it?" Beast Boy asked Robin for the millionth time, following him around the tower as the leader escorted Jaze to the door.

"I found it." Robin said, the usual answer to that exact question. After a long time of trying, everyone gave up asking.

Standing in the front entrance alone with Robin, Jaze began his final goodbyes.

"You know, this is far from the last time you'll see me, Robin."

Robin grinned as he normally did, not at all bothered by the threat—ahem—promise. "I know. I also know that you're not the only one."

Ah…the mystery of Slade. No doubt he would be back for his _property_ again.

No doubt at all.

"He's bound to come back for you."

"I know." Robin repeated.

"And that doesn't bother you?"

"No."

He frowned in confusion behind the bandaged wrapping, still in his villainous form since Robin was the only one who knew his real identity. "Just tell me…what happened between the two of you that created this short…_truce_?"

Robin sighed, seeing that there was no point in keeping the secret from the man for long. "I took off his mask and…he took off his. I saw his face."

That was…that was amazing…Jaze had been through all of Slade's memories and not once had he seen the man's face—not a single reflection Slade remembered of seeing his own face.

Jaze left, but not before asking one last question—one that he remembered for a long time until he met up with the Teen Titans again in another large battle against the infamous Slade—Deathstroke the Terminator.

"Robin…what did you see?"

For a boy, Robin sure didn't act like a child.

But with the same grin and a mischievous look, he gave an honest reply—

"A man."

-A-

Victor: Oooooooh…a silent treaty between two enemies to keep their identity safe. Do you know what Slade looks like in real life.

Alex: Yep—if you've read the comics, you'd see him a lot.

Victor: Really?

Alex: I have one of the comics at my dad's place. You can see it tomorrow when I go there.

Victor: But the truce thing…that was deep. I never knew Slade could act so…human. He just left Robin.

Alex: The greatest enemy is one that can relate to you and understand your motives. Because then he will always be one step ahead of you. That is why he and Robin are, quite naturally, perfect enemies. I just wanted to show that in a more 'in depth' way, and I decided to do that through the mask part.

Victor: Why aren't you telling the readers what Slade looks like.

Alex: That is a secret between Robin and Slade, but I might be kind and tell them in the next book.

Victor: YES! BOOK TWO! Can you start this weekend?

Alex: …Maybe.

_Bowing graciously,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

_And,_

_Tipping his hat to you,_

_Victor Van Heiring._

Alex: Tipping your hat? You used one of my old signings.

Victor: Oh, just be quiet and keep writing.

_Until again,_

_Us_


	25. AGAIN: Chapter one: Promises

Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

(Quick Note: I forgot to add **dlsky** to the thank-you part of my last chapter.)

Victor: Do you even wait for reviews?

Alex: Yes, I do. In fact, I had fourteen so far from the last chapter. One was from a guy named **Slade Wilson**, and I would add him to the thank-you list, but he was creepy…

Victor: He posted a review, or did he send an e-mail?

Alex: Check it out on the review page. Odd…Anyhow—my reviews are in the two hundred range zone now! That's a new record for me, and I hope all you guys make it to two hundred too (at the very least) with your own stories.

DISCLAIMER: Do we 'need' to go over this again? I've said it I-don't-know-how-many-times already.

CHAPTER ONE: Promises

_Robin…_

_There she was…and there he was…two of the world's greatest. They were falling, but flying—gliding through the air like birds. They were agile and lithe, tall and well-balanced. Their skill was known for miles around, and such they handed down to their son who, though he also had to worry about tutoring, not attending any real school, failed no one in becoming the world's youngest acrobat. Many were awed at the fact that he could flip four times in a row backwards, and that it was not often that he fell during an act—if ever, it would be in practice._

_But they still wouldn't let him join them that one night, and sometimes people wondered if fate had a play on that._

_Snap! Snap!_

_Thud…_

_Wide-eyed and lost for words, he watched them die…_

_Again._

He sat up in bed, heart racing faster than it ever did during combat practice. Lost for breathe and sweating cold, he ran a shaky hand through his messy hair and tried to calm himself down with five simple words.

"I was just a dream..."

More like a nightmare.

Then he was instantly in control again and his heart slowed to its average rate. His chest filled slowly with new air and released it in a heavy sigh as he closed his eyes once to clear his mind. After much thought on 'nothing' he got out of bed, grabbed some new clothes, and made his way to the washroom where he took a long cold shower and prepared for the day.

The last thing he put on was his mask, and when it was on there was no more Richard Grayson. Richard Grayson was a silly little boy who was just a tad bit smart for his age but was too much of a fool to understand his parents were dead.

That one night he heard Tony Zucco, the mobster, threatening the circus owner for money…that one night he could have told his parents what he heard and they would have taken caution before performing without a net. Maybe…just _maybe_ if "Richard" would have told them, they would still be alive today.

But all those people "Robin" ever saved wouldn't. Richard had to die with his parents to save all those innocent people…Everything happens for a reason, and his parents were in heaven for a great plan.

Shaking his head, he stared at his reflection in the mirror of his room as he sat before the desk and turned around. The mask was important because it kept Richard six feet under and hid all his little secrets from those few talented people who could read a person through their eyes. Their were times when he thought back to that fateful incident and wondered how things would have been had he been able to stop them from falling. Actually, he found himself thinking about it quite often now that the crime level of Jump City was on a record-breaking low at the present time. And so, to keep himself from going insane, he came up with an answer.

If he ever possessed the power to go back in time to save his parents, he would pass up the opportunity without hesitation. God—fate—what-have-you—made things happen for a reason. Even the chance of seeing the face of his worst enemy had a purpose. It put his soul to ease knowing that he wasn't fighting some boogie man under the bed, or a Grim Reaper in the closet—

He was fighting a man. A man with powers—but a man all the same.

Men could be defeated.

But fate had a funny way of twisting thing around.

Not too long after he had waken and cleaned up for a new day (four am, to be precise), the Teen Titans received a very important call. The caller was still on the 'iffy' list between a villain and a hero, but he was something of a friend anyway.

"You rang?" Beast Boy yawned, the last to enter the main room and take notice of Jaze on the big screen. "Hey, dude."

"_Morning, Relish."_

Robin let a grin slip, being in something of a good mood since the Titans had had a long vacation from crime fighting. Maybe now he'd have something interesting to do. "What is it?" He asked plainly, seeing how Jaze was in his villainous form. "Did you do something wrong, or is someone doing something to you?"

"_Eh…both, actually. Well, the first hasn't happened yet, but that all depends on what you five do with this situation."_

The grin fled slowly and Robin grew serious. "What did you do?"

It sounded like an accusation, but Jaze didn't seem snubbed by the question. _"I think you and someone else should come here. Preferably…him."_

Robin looked to who Jaze was pointing at, including the rest of the Titans.

"Me?" Beast Boy asked in disbelief. "You're not going to punish me for calling you dude again, are you?"

"_It's too early in the morning to be that mean, but consider yourself lucky this time. I'm just not as well acquainted with the rest of your comrades and I think it would be for best if Robin came with someone else. I'd ask Starfire to join you, but she appears to be sleeping."_

The rest of them looked to Starfire and—true—she was asleep standing up. They would expect such a thing from Beast Boy, but Star…? That was new.

"She must have been reading that book I borrowed her." Raven said to herself out loud. "I told her to hurry with it, but I didn't mean for her to stay up all night…"

"_Well, she isn't the only one who hasn't had some shut-eye in a while, which brings me back to the matters at hand…"_

"We'll be there in an hour." Robin confirmed, somewhat excited that the action was returning. "Beast Boy and I will see you then."

"_See ya, Zipper."_

-J-

They met him at his mansion, the place he did all his illegal and non-funded experiments when he didn't want the government or someone else tailing him to get their hands on whatever he discovered, or, in this case, created. He didn't usually do this sort of things, but this was a project he started fresh out of university—before he met his wife-to-be and Slade…this was something he dreamed of creating.

And now he had a problem.

"What are they?" Beast Boy asked, staring hard at the two items. Jaze could see that small sparkle in his eyes—the one a little kid would get when he or she wanted to touch something they shouldn't. "They look like…watches?"

Jaze picked up the 'higher-tech' of the two. While the more mundane watch had two buttons on the right side, the other had fifteen below the tiny screen. Both screens held seven sets of digital numbers in this order: month, day, year, hour, minute, second, millisecond. That was the odd thing, and even that caught Beast Boy's attention.

"Maybe they are…maybe they aren't." Jaze said...having trouble trying to think of a way to explain them. "They tell the time and they…_influence_ it as well."

Suggested by Robin's mask, the eyebrow of his right eye rose. "What do you mean? Manipulates—controls?..." He stopped dead at that word and frowned slightly. "You're not telling us you created a time machine…are you?"

Jaze shrugged. "After advancing my mind, I fail to see how such a task is outside my limitations. So—yes. I created a time machine."

"DUDE! That's sweet!" Beast Boy exclaimed with his boyish grin. Suddenly it left, either from the frown Robin gave him for approving of such an invention or Jaze who was still touchy about being called 'dude'. "Uhhh…I mean—that's interesting, sir, but how do you know it works?"

He was successful in correcting himself with that one sentence.

Jaze showed them the tiny screen on one watch and then the other of the second watch. "Both have the same time of the present because the first watch is in this time zone. I went back a month ago last night and watched you fall off the cliff, Robin. I trust I wasn't seen."

Robin's eyes grew wider at that statement. "You saw that?"

"Naturally I didn't do anything to change it because time is quite a fragile thing. But yes—and how many times have you ever broken your ribs? How the heck can you swim like that?"

He shrugged. "Get on with the explanation, please. You said that they showed the present time because the 'first' watch was in this time zone. What are you implying with that?"

He smiled. "I'm glad you picked that up, because that is the most important part of this whole thing." Putting the second watch back down on the table, he focused more on the first. "You see, this is the one which controls were you go in time—whether it be the past or future, or back to the time you were supposed to be in. You will end up in this exact same position in time, so you can't expect to be in Washington DC when you use it—but it's a time machine, not a transporter."

"And this one?" Beast Boy had that look back in his eyes, and Jaze picked up the second watch before temptation got the better of him.

"This watch was made in case someone stole the first. The time on the screen will always show where—or, more precisely, 'when'—the other watch is. Press the top button to go there and the bottom button to send you back to the last time zone you were in with the watch. While using the watches, anything within a ten foot radius goes along with you, and the second watch will always place you a mile north of where the first watch goes."

-R-

Robin was…shocked…How ironic this was turning out to be…

"Care to try?" Jaze asked, noticing how oddly quite the leader of the Teen Titans was. "Is there anything you'd like to change or see again?"

"No…" His voice was rather quiet for such a fiery spirited boy. "You said so yourself, Jaze—time is quite a fragile thing. It should never be meddled with."

"Too true—and especially with unlimited possibilities. If someone was to go into the past and change something, time could become utterly confused…"

Beast Boy scratched his head at this one. "Time can become confused?...How does that work out?"

Sighing, Jaze placed the watch back down next to the other one on the desk and sat in the chair beside it. "Let me think…paradoxes could come into being."

"I still don't get it…"

"Have you ever watched Back to the Future?"

"Yeah…"

"The one where he ends up as Biff's son because his real father died?"

"Keep going for me…"

"How would he have remembered anything? How would he have known the professor if that happened to go back in time and make it happen? **Think of it this way—**"

The gears were evidently turning in Beast Boy's head, and he listened intently with something of fascination. This was a new characteristic for the green changeling.

"As an example—a girl was given a green bracelet from her mother. As time passed by, she found a way to go back in time and took the chance to do so. Meeting someone in the past, she gave that person the green bracelet—which that person then gave to her daughter who then gave it to her daughter. The second daughter was the woman that went back in time, and she continued the cycle. Here's what _confused_ time—who created the bracelet?"

That was an odd question. The bracelet wasn't exactly created. It was just…there.

"The only explanation…" Jaze continued. "…would be that the bracelet was created at one point or another, but someone's meddling with time destroyed that event and created a paradox. The bracelet is a small flaw and so it continued to exist though it shouldn't have, being passed down through time for as long as time existed."

"Creepy…" Beast Boy shivered, but he continued to grin. "So, what do you want us to do about it?"

"Destroying it could be a mistake…but keeping it is just as worse. I want the Teen Titans to protect the controlling watch until I can find a safer place to hide it. The second watch will stay with me, and, if you five should ever lose it, come to me to use it to chase down the first."

It sounded simple…but it wasn't. If _anyone_ **_ever_** found out about the watch…it was going to be one hell of a time trying to fix up…well…_time_. Who knew what could be done with it, and who knew what type of people would come after it.

Well, Robin could think of one person.

Jaze, who was back into reading people's minds again, nodded at the thought. "No doubt Slade will want to drop by. That crazy lunatic could do quite the tango on the world if he got his hands on it."

"No kidding." Robin muttered, rubbing his temples as a headache began. Slade knowing about the watch meant that Robin would have to confront the man, and Robin still didn't forget Slade's last words to him…

"_And…If I **ever** see you again, Robin, I **will** make you my apprentice and there will be **no** escape. That's a promise…"_

Slade was a man of his words, and to him—a promise was a _promise_…

-A-

Alex: I went book shopping earlier today and I ran into some crazy lady.

Victor: (_Laughing his head off_.) She was some girl that read Alex's story on fanfiction. She was upset because Alex reached two hundred reviews for his story before hers did and in fewer chapters. I don't know what story she's writing, but I don't even know if it's in the Teen Titans section. While Alex was trying to find new notebooks, she kept giving him this awful look.

Alex: Well, she's twelve and I didn't really care what she thought of me. I apologized and went back to searching because my poor notebook is all filled up. It's soon joining to join the boxes of them I have under my bed and in the basement.

Victor: Anyhow, I forced Alex to write this chapter because even a day is far too long to wait for an update. Besides, a lot of people review stories on Sunday and what a pleasant surprise it will be from them to see the first chapter of Not Again's sequel—Again.

Alex: I know the title is corny, and I'm sorry for not giving a summary. I want this one to be such a surprise, and I hope you like what I have planned. **Yes, it has a ton more of Robin's suffering and a lot of Slade in control. **To add things up, I decided to keep Jaze in the mix because I love it when he tries to do something good and the heroes stop him because he looks like a villain (ex. Batman and Jaze in the opera house). I hope you guys hold on for another ride, and thank you ever so much for your reviews. In one day I got fourteen reviews—the most I ever received for one chapter. I'm so glad so many people were pleased with it and I will try my best to make everything as good as I most possibly can. Anyhow…I'm going to start on the next chapter because I've reached a writer's block for all my other stories. I have half of the next Slade's Tale chapter written up and I know how I'm going to end Pieces of the Puzzle (Book Three of Blast)…but I'm just going to stick with this until I can get over it.

_I hope to hear from you again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon,_

_And,_

_Victor Van Heiring_


	26. Chapter two: He's back

Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Alex: Hmmm…I don't know what to say this time. Maybe I'll think of something at the end of this chapter…

Victor: I do—here's another chapter, folks!

Alex: O.o? That's all?

Victor: Yep.

Alex:…Okay then…

DISCLAIMER: I'm only sixteen. There is no possibly way in this universe I could have ever owned something as cool as TT…or any other DC comic heroes/villains/neutrals.

CHAPTER TWO: He's back…

They wanted him gone, that much he knew since the day they first discovered his name. A whole war followed which went from one hellish situation to another and ended where it did now—him back in Jump City after losing his apprentice twice. Well, you know the old saying—third times the charm.

Pacing back and forth in the new—but just as cold, dark, and large—lair before the tall screens monitoring the city, Slade began to think One of his robots was sent out earlier to watch the house of Dr. John Manning, a man he still didn't know what to do with. Kill him? Torture him? Imprison him like before? Or leave him alone?

Scratch that last one. Jaze didn't deserve peace until Slade bled every last drop of blood from him. He still had his uses until death was a worth punishment for him.

It came to his attention when Robin and Beast Boy came up on the screen as small specks until the robot zoomed in with the camera to focus on them. They entered the mansion in quite a hurry, something that caught Slade's interest in a heartbeat.

If Robin wasn't careful, Slade could fulfill his promise now. He saw Robin, didn't he?

But he was fairer than that.

Typing away at his main computer, he finally enabled the tiny bugs he planted in John's mansion a long time ago when he first tried to kidnap Boy Wonder and found that the hero couldn't leave the house. After a short while of work, he finally picked up on something.

"_You're not telling us you created a time machine…are you?"_

"_After advancing my brain, I fail to see how such a task is outside my limitations. So—yes. I created a time machine."_

Stop. Rewind. Play. What did he just say?

There was a long explanation that followed and Slade listened intently. Then it came to a part where the young changeling had no idea what the good doctor was talking about. The explanation was fair and it sparked an idea in Slade's mind…

"_The only explanation…would be that the bracelet was created at one point or another, but someone's meddling with time destroyed that event and created a paradox. The bracelet is a small flaw and so it continued to exist though it shouldn't have, being passed down through time for as long as time existed."_

Yes, time had many flaws. Half a second could make all the difference in the world, but that wasn't the only thing that was wrong with it. Say…if someone was to go back into time to change something. They would be destroying the purpose as to why they went back to change it, thus distorting the line of time. But, in a weak attempt to heal itself, it would allow for it to happen and instead allow a new future to unravel. The person would still come back from that alternate future even though their future was not in existence.

There came another idea.

"_No doubt Slade will want to drop by. That crazy lunatic could do quite the tango on the world if he got his hands on it."_

Ouch, John. That hurt _so_ much.

"_No kidding…"_

Slade paused the recording for real this time and rewound it a short distance.

"_No kidding…"_

Fear? Dread? Caution? Exhaustion?—what was in his voice? It seemed to be a mix, and this fact could not keep a wicked smile from growing on Slade's face behind his mask. It seemed as though his final words with Robin had done the trick. He made his mark and now Robin knew how serious Slade was being. Slade had been most gracious in letting him go, showing the boy how weak he was, but he respected Robin, knowing what potential he had. His pathetic friends would have been dead by now if it had not been for Slade's generosity.

And all he wanted in return was a little gratitude.

To put it plainly, Robin _owed _him, and Slade wasn't a man to let old debts pass unnoticed.

"No, Robin…I'm not kidding."

-BB-

"So, remind me again why I'm here."

Jaze looked to Beast Boy and jumped up from his seat, spinning around and pulling out a drawer from his desk. Reaching inside, he pulled out a small medication bottle with tiny blue pills and tossed it to BB.

Beast Boy caught it and shot Robin a confused look. But Robin wasn't staring at him. He was looking at the bottle, and, once he saw what was inside, he jumped back and nearly tripped over a footstool in the doctor's den. Gathering his balance rather quickly, he made it look like he was headed toward the hall, but the door to the den slammed shut with a wave of Jaze's hand.

"Look familiar?" Jaze asked, directing the question to an edgy Robin. "I haven't had a good night's rest because of you."

The frown on Robin face would have killed Beast Boy had he been the target of the Boy Wonder's fury. Luckily he wasn't and just stood as still and silent as a church mouse as the conversation continued between the two.

"How the hell did you find out about this?" Robin asked, his voice sharper than his usual calm and collective self. "Have you been snooping around my mind again."

Jaze shrugged. "Yes, but unintentionally, of course. Slade slammed and crammed my head full of memories and nightmares, leaving a hole in my defense. Anyone whose mind I've ever entered, as deeply as I entered yours, shares their dreams and nightmares with me now for a time being. Naturally, the hole should heal in a short while, but you've kept me up every night this last month with that bloody nightmare of yours. These will—"

"Keep me sedated with a blank mind for quite a few hours."

Nodding his head, Jaze sighed tiredly. "I know Slade used them on you and that brings you back bad memories, but for the sake that I haven't slept in seventy-four hours—please eat those. And Beast Boy—" The transformers ears perked up. "You're job is to make sure he takes one each night before he sleeps. Got it?"

He fake saluted, ignoring the frown Robin gave him. Robin then gave Jaze a look of small hate, but left with Beast Boy without further words—a watch in Robin's hand.

"So…" Beast Boy started, just about to turn into a raven as Robin mounted his motorcycle. "What exactly do you dream of that keeps you up all night…?"

Robin opened his mouth with a fierce look, appearing as though he wanted to blast Beast Boy…but he didn't.

"I see my parents dying again."

…Oh…that would give him nightmares too.

Without further conversation, they left Jaze's place in a hurry with the two objects in hand. One Robin was going to lock up in the vault in the evidence room, and the other Beast Boy knew he'd need Cyborg's help with. The mechanical man would probably go so far as to cram it down Robin's throat if he refused to eat it. After all, it was just a pill…

What was so wrong with that?

-R-

"Eat it."

"Nope."

"Eat it."

"Sorry."

"Robin!"

"I'm not taking it."

Cyborg started pacing again in front of him. Robin sat on the edge of his bed, Beast Boy and Starfire also present in the room as they all tried to convince Robin to eat the pill. What—Jaze wasn't his doctor! He could handle his own dreams…There were other ways to stop nightmares…weren't there?

Raven had been the smart one to stay out of the problem.

"I'm not even tired yet." Robin complained. Actually, it was eleven pm and he had been back with Beast Boy since that morning. He wanted action, and he'd miss a call if he was asleep at home. There was no waking him if such a thing happened.

"Tell you what." Cyborg said with a grin. "I'll load it into my cannon and shot it down your throat—nice and quick."

Robin gave him the 'you've-got-to-be-kidding-me' look and Cyborg waved aside the foolish idea.

"But are pills not supposed to help a person?" Starfire asked just as innocently as ever. "Is it not for your health, Robin?"

"Trust me, Star. If I take one of those things, I'll be out until the next Fourth of July. I'd probably never wake up again."

She took the bottle from his nightstand and took out a pile. "Perhaps if I were to eat one to show you—"

"NO!" The three boys cried in unison, Robin gently taking both the bottle and the pills from her hands. "We don't know what it'd do to you."

"But I must." Starfire said innocently, a look of utter confusion on her face. "Seeing that there is no other way to make you take one—" She snatched the pill bottle from his hands and turned her back to him as he reached to grab it. Slipping out a second pill, she put it to her mouth and—

"Okay! Okay!" Robin squeaked, clearing his voice after such a short (Beast Boy snickering in the corner). "I'll take one, Star…just…Please give me back the pill."

She smiled. "I will put it back in the bottle once you are asleep, Robin."

Damn that alien girl. He loved her, but it made him feel weak since she could manipulate him so easily. It wasn't in his style to just listen to anyone like that, but he already knew she loved him and that softened him greatly. If he had been his seven-year-old self, he would have eaten anything if Star told him to. He wouldn't need a reason, but right now she was using blackmail.

One pill still in his hand, he drew back his covers, sat back down on the bed, and tossed it into his mouth. Sipping some water from the glass on the nightstand, he lay down in bed and closed his eyes, not even bothering to ask his friends to leave. Lying on his side, he just let the sudden wave of sleep overcome him.

"Dude, is he really asleep...?"

…

…

…

"Man, I think he's…"

That's all he heard before darkness consumed him.

-S-

It was almost too easy…to the point that he was simply disappointed. Cyborg should have updated the security system by now, but that fool and the rest of the Titans were too sure of themselves to special care of anything. It didn't matter how many times you kicked them in the ribs—they'd come crawling back for more.

They were all asleep, something that didn't sit well even with them since the crime-rate had been lower. As he watched the tower all day from outside, they had only two late night robberies to stop—both of which Robin missed. Slade was interested in learning Robin's excuse for missing out in the action. It was his life, wasn't it?

Once he hacked into the security system, he shut the entire thing off and nearly destroyed it as he entered the main room and fiddled with the computer. It would take Cyborg months to fix the damage Slade created, but he had other things to focus on, and one of them was finding that watch…

Leaving the main room, he turned down the nearest hall and strolled quietly past the many doors. Six had names on them—Beast Boy, Raven, Cyborg, Starfire, Robin, and Terra. Terra was long dead by now, but that was beyond the point.

Walking past Robin's room, he paused. Surely Robin would have been awake researching something…but, by the crack under the door, it was evident to see that the lights inside were not on. Research was the only excuse Slade could think of that Robin would have for missing battles. Either that, or he had broken something…No, because Slade had seen him at John's place at the beginning of the day. It wasn't until the evening that he noticed something different with Robin.

Curiousity got the better of him and he found himself opening Robin's door. The alarm system was off and it wasn't too hard to open it without making a sound. It slid quietly to the side, leaving space for Slade to enter, and closed just as silently when he was insides.

It was a dark place, the curtains shut tight with long black drapes. Apparently, Robin was well acquainted with the dark and felt secure with it—odd, when he suddenly looked so frightened in one of Slade's dark lairs. It was tidy, almost as though someone with OCD could have owned it…but someone with OCD would have gone bonkers had their been so many papers spread over the wall, desk, and even on the floor unevenly. Everything was in categories, meaning that Robin meant to have paper everywhere—just not having enough space on his desk—and the information ranged from villains to heroes. The latest escaped criminals had their profiles out right where anyone could see them and information concerning the Titans East was spread all over his desk. Apparently, he was fathering them until they could handle things on their own, writing up on just about anything that caused concern.

He was obsessed.

What surprised Slade most upon entering the room was seeing Robin asleep in his bed, his back to the door. He hadn't heard Slade…that, or he was faking it to confuse Slade, but the slow, barely noticeable rise and fall of his upper body represented the steady breathes of a sleeper. You took in less air when you slept and each breath was prolonged for quite the amount of time. It was difficult to pretend you were sleeping for long if you already knew that piece of information.

Slade frowned slightly. He would have been courteous to the boy by letting him go this one last time, but falling asleep and lowering all your defenses...That was nothing like Robin and that deserved some form of punishment.

Slade closed the distance between himself and Robin's sleeping figure, prepared to grab the boy and silence him if he were to struggle or make an attempt to cry for help. It was time to reunite the master and the apprentice, to continue what began long ago…

Then he noticed the medicine bottle…It was prescribed by a Dr. J. Manning and one of the regular ten pills was missing. They were similar to the ones Slade used on Robin a while ago, but the dosage was stronger. These pills were meant to keep Robin asleep to the break of dawn and that would explain his absences from battle in the evening.

Slade tapped his chin with a finger, continuing to stare at Robin through his mask. He was contemplating whether or not he should take Robin now or later. If he took him now, Robin would not struggle or alarm the others and Slade could keep him sedated until the time was right to train him…but then there was the honorable thing to do. Robin had his back to Slade, absolutely vulnerable to whatever happened to him until the pills wore off. Slade could beat him until he was bloody and Robin wouldn't be able to do a thing about it.

He had an idea—one that was better than either.

Slade spun around on his heel and headed toward the door, listening as it close gently behind him as he made his way toward the evidence room. It took him a while to find it, but not as long as he thought it would be, and he was very interested in what he saw. Despite the fact that many of the villains the Titans fought were pathetic, you had to give them points for the things they created or stole. A control that turned fiction to reality, puppets that held the souls of the living, a staff that swapped a person's age with another…it was quite a collection. The Titans could have taken over America by now had they decided to use all the tools they had here with them, but they listened to their consciences.

He ignored the fascinating toys and struggled to the very end. There was a part of the room that looked like a wall, but if you were to knock on it you would know in an instant that it wasn't stable. After a little more searching, he found the lever to turn it behind the display case with the controller, pulling it to reveal a dark room. Stepping inside he found the vault.

Reaching to his belt, he took a small machine and attached it to the lock on the vault. Pressing a button, he waited as the small machine beeped and blinked softly until the little flashing light turned red and all noises ceased.

There was a loud click as the vault unlocked itself, Slade reached inside. Originally it held the Red-X suit Robin made until his successor stole it and began to use it for what it was made for—stealing, not catching villains. Now it held the slightly complicated digital watch with Slade slipped over his left wrist.

He could have left right then and there, but he left the T-tower to see somebody first. Once he found them ho would leave—and Robin might not dare follow.

-A-

Alex: I have something now!

Victor: What is it?

Alex: I have a contest! Okay…I don't have a summary for this one yet, but I'd like to just in case people are a little iffy about the time travel thing. Yes, I'm always wondering about time and that is what draws me to write about it, but this won't be some sort of complicated story that will rattle your brains to no end. The contest…

**Contest:** I want someone to write me a short summary for my story after they've read up to about…I don't know, as far as you like. You can send it to me now or wait until chapter six—doesn't matter to me as long as you keep the mystery and make it interesting.

Victor: What do they win?

Alex: I'll tell them whatever they want to know. They can ask me as many questions as they like and I will answer honestly; even if they ask what I have planned for this story—and I will even reveal my big secret as long as they promise not to tell anyone. I know it isn't much of a prize, but you don't have to compete. Just tell me if you consider so I know who to judge. This will keep me busy for when I reach a writer's block.

Victor: Oh…

Alex: Well, I've got to go work on my next chapter and check for more reviews/updates. I got another review from **Slade Wilson**, and all I can say is that I hope he doesn't read Slade's Tale. I think someone intelligent is trying to scare me…

Victor: I think he's an alright person. He agrees with me when I say you should be less goodie-goodie and a little more…tough. For goodness sake, you take taekwondo and you apologize every time you kick the paddle too hard. I think **Slade Wilson** should send you a private letter to give you a good talking to…

_Until again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

_And,_

_Victor Van Heiring_


	27. Chapter three: Oh no

Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Alex: I have…news…… (_Scratching head._) How the heck am I supposed to say this…?

Victor: Maybe you should ask _him_ seeing that _he_ is the one all the trouble originates from… (_Muttering in the background._)

Slade Wilson – Deathstroke: Very well—Alexnandru's story may or may not be put on halt for a long amount of time. It all depends… (_Giving Alexnandru a warning look_.)…on how productive he is with another story…

Alex: The wonderful world of co-writing…Sigh…

DISCLAIMER: NO!

CHAPTER THREE: Oh no…

Beast Boy wasn't the type to wake early, but somehow he was the first person up, sitting in the main room at five in the morning. Robin would have surely been awake had it not been for the pills, and Beast Boy—hating to be alone—considered returning to his room when the screen suddenly turned on.

"_What are you guys doing! I've been trying to sound your alarms for an hour!"_

Beast Boy jumped up from the couch and scratched the back of his head in confusion. "What do you mean? None of the alarms went off!"

"_I'm going to let Robin off with this one because he was sedated—but the watch has been stolen! The second watch with me shows that the first watch is somewhere in Jump City nine or so years ago!"_

Wow…Pause. Rewind. Play.

"Come again?"

If Jaze's eyes weren't glowing, Beast Boy would have sworn he rolled them. _"Two persons went into the past only a short while ago, and they did the jig somewhere in the Gotham City . Whoever they are, they know an awful lot…"_

How much did you want to bet it was some tall, strong, evil-mastermind that went by the one syllable name of: Slade?…BB's money was on him. Either that, or Red-X was sticking around in town again. But, after being fooled by Robin, Beast Boy was sure they wouldn't hear from that kid for a while…too much broken pride for a clever guy like that…

But didn't he say _two_ people?

"Two?" Beast Boy asked, voicing his question. "As in—human beings?"

"_Well, duh. I don't know who, but you'd better get your friends down here before anything 'unexpected' happens to the past we've grown to know and love…well, maybe not love—but you get the idea."_

"Yeah—people getting erased from history. What a joy…"

"_Good to hear someone's awake—now get the others and meet me here at my place. Take Robin too."_

"But that guy is probably going to be out for the rest of tonight and tomorrow."

"_Trust me when I say he'll want to come. It is very important that he comes along."_

"Why?"

"…_His future is in danger."_

Must have been something grand…

-R-

He woke up in a bright room, having no idea where the heck he was until he shook his head to clear away the stars. A hand on his forehead, he realized Cyborg was holding him, the others surrounding him—and that included Jaze.

Oh…Jaze's place…What the heck were they doing there.

"Wake up time, kid." Jaze said, clapping his hands together beside Robin's head. That gave him a migraine and woke him up sooner than anything would have. "You have to see this."

See what?

Setting him down to stand on his own, Robin took the watch Jaze handed him and stared at it oddly. At first he thought it was the one he locked up in the tower until he noticed the lack of buttons. It was the second one—and he nearly dropped it when he saw the time.

"You've got to be kidding me!" He exclaimed, his voice squeaking slightly from the strain. He cleared his throat, feeling as though he were having a hangover before commenting further. "Who went back to that time!"

Cyborg gazed at the watch and raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What happened then? It isn't in the history books for as far as I know…"

"But it was in the newspapers." Raven cut in, her monotone voice somehow sharp. She knew what it was all about, having been in Robin's mind before.

"Newspaper?" Starfire quizzelled. "Is that not a record of all events occurring in the present?"

"Yes."

Robin frowned…but not quite in fury. It was a melancholy look, and his shoulder visibly dropped as he handed the watch back to Jaze. It was not a pleasant memory, and how would anyone know about that.

Suddenly his head snapped up and his eyes darted to Jaze, who, in his omnipotent ways, nodded in silent acknowledgement.

"You mean…" Robin shook his head, finding it hard to understand what was happening. "Who would know besides my family and…and…"

"Slade?" Jaze asked, all eyes now on him as the three unknowing Titans waited for an explanation. "It would make things easier for him, now wouldn't it?"

"But I thought he'd go back in time to do something more…important. I have no doubt he has a list, but…he can't be there for that reason…can he?"

"I believe he is."

"What?" Beast Boy cut in, eyeing both men with utter confusion. "What happened nine of eight years ago?"

Jaze remained silent. Robin was somewhat hoping the man would explain for him, but no one spoke as they stared at him. It was hard to talk about it, especially when it was something he had tried so hard to forget. Nine or eight years…and he still couldn't let go. He knew things happened for a reason, and that he probably wouldn't have been who he was today if it didn't happen, but…But this was too unfair. Right when he most desperately needed to bury the past, it had to stick its ugly face out from the ground.

He swallowed, wetting his lips as he tried to find a way to explain it easily…But there wasn't such a thing as an easy explanation…

"Eight years ago, Batman turned me into Robin after he took me in…" He began. "Back then…my parents died."

_THUD!_

…_Again._

-St-

She shifted her weight from one foot to another uncomfortably. She…she never knew that about Robin. True, she had lost her parents, but she was from a warrior race and she still had plenty of time to spend with them before they left... Nine or eight years ago Robin would have been…turning from seven to eight years of age. That was quite a young age to lose someone, and now she understood why he was so hard on himself all the time. At first she thought it was because of his surrogate father, the Dark Knight—and most of his attitude was probably modeled from his second father—but that darker, more secretive part of him was created from suffering too much at such a young age. It was all because of pent up hate and great grief.

"You were that young?" Beast Boy said softly, his head bowed slightly. "You…you were only a kid…How did they die?"

Robin seemed to cringe slightly at the question, but he answered quite gently despite his usual bold manner. "They…fell. We were acrobats and someone cut their wires when they preformed that night without the nets. I'm only alive because they didn't want me trying without the net just yet. I had to sit aside and watch…and watch…"

He choked, but no tears came. He almost looked angry, his eyes more menacing than before—if that was possible with a mask. His gaze fell on Jaze and the watch as the old villain strapped it to his left wrist.

"Everyone ready?" The maniac asked, a grin sounding in his voice.

Starfire suddenly didn't like the idea of time travel, having seen an unpleasant future, and she was not in the mood for seeing a dark past. She opened her mouth to protest, and so did Beast Boy.

"No objections—great!" And he pressed the button before anyone else could move.

What a day.

---

The circus was a lively place, and even more so before it was opened to the public. It was Saturday night—just about everyone in Gotham went out on Saturday night and what better way to spend your evening than a trip to the circus where some of the world's best preformed for your entertainment? Colours, laughter, action—it was a whirlwind storm of awe and wonderment, and you almost guaranteed to talk about it for a good month after seeing one of the shows. The circus never seemed to stop surprising you.

Some would beg to differ.

"I know you're up there!" The tight-rope walker's daughter called into the darkness of the largest tent. Her voice almost echoed, and all she could see was her long shadows stretch out before her on the ground. She was eleven—three and a half years older than him. Therefore he had no right to scare her…did he?

Everything was set up for the performances tonight, and the large net for the acrobats was strung up already. That meant Richard could go up on the swings without getting in trouble. He was told not to try performing in the dark, but he didn't like to listen to his parents. That, she guessed, was why he was so upset.

Practicing long and hard, he was hoping to impress his parents enough to go without the net tonight, but right after their family act he was told to sit down and watch them for their last performance. That meant no 'without-the-net' stunts and that really dampened his spirit.

Something _swished_ above her and she grinned to herself.

"Come one down, Robin. Your mom is looking for you. You have to get dressed."

There was a swish sound and she could faintly make out a figure flipping in the air swiftly as he slowly made his descent toward the ground. Just at the last moment he caught the next swing and rocketed back toward the ceiling of the tent.

Squinting so that her eyes could adjust to the dark, Ella frowned. He wasn't changed and he was swinging around in a baggy hoodie—not a smart thing if you got tangled up in your clothes. Besides, how the heck could he adjust to the added wait and re-calculate how long it would take him before he had to stop in flipping. Being an acrobat took a lot of thinking and timing—and you especially needed to know your body well. In tight-rope walking, it was more for balance, but when you were constantly twisting and turning in the air…

She wasn't scared of heights, but she could never muster the guts to be an acrobat.

"Will you at least tell me 'no'?" She asked patiently and he flipped once more—three times backward before falling purposefully toward the net. Then he just laid there and sighed heavily, a tiny boy who you could pick up as easily as feather. That was probably why he could do his stunts so well.

"Fine—No!" He said, his voice small and immature. She could tell he was in a bad mood. "Tell them I don't want to see them."

"You can't, Robin…they're your parents."

"Sue me."

Stupid brat was also a smart kid. He could also say and spell words she hadn't even heard of before.

"What does 'sue' mean?"

"To…institute…proceedings against a person for…_redress_ of grievances…I think…"

Damn boy was a walking dictionary.

Something moved in the stands and Ella jumped. Startled, she turned to see who was there, but couldn't see much in the light. Side-glancing to Richard, she watched the boy climb from the netting and walk up to stand next to her. "Hello?" He called, no sign of fear in his voice. Sometimes she wondered how a kid younger than her could act so brave. "Mom? Dad?"

Something clanked against the stands and Ella jumped again, a squeak escaping her lips. This merited a childish laugh from Robin, a lively and sweet one that forced him to grip his stomach in slight pain.

"What's so funny?" She snapped, hands on her hips. "One minute you're sad, and the next you're laughing your head off. Care to share?"

He stopped and patted her on the shoulder. "It's probably just our imagination. The stands are old—they're probably creaking from age."

There was another loud clank and they both fell silent. Robin straightened, running a hand through his short and spiky black hair before taking a step in front of Ella in a protective manner. She admired that he acted like her brother, but she was the eldest of the two.

"Rob—"

"Shhhh…" He hushed her gently, staring over his shoulder at her. "I think it's Tony…"

Tony? Tony Zucco? One of the most ruthless mobsters in Gotham City that was bugging money out of the circus owner, Mr. Haly, whenever business was good? Richard had to be kidding her.

"He was talking to Mr. Haly in his office a short while ago." Richard whispered, sounding intelligent. "Haly won't give him anything and Tony said he'd make him pay another way…"

"Then why is he in here?" She asked, not seeing any sense in what he was saying. 'It's not like—"

"Ella! Robin! Where have you two been?"

Both yelping, the two children turned toward the tent entrance to see Mary Grayson, Richard's mother, standing there with a small smile on her face. "Come on, Robin dear." She said sweetly, and the two moved toward her. "You have to get ready for tonight."

Ella noted the small frown on the small boy's face as they neared the light. "But, mom—can't I act with you? I promise I'll hold on tight!"

"Not without a net, dear. Maybe when you're older."

"That's what you always say…" He muttered, but followed her anyway to suit up. He loved his parents dearly and always gave up in the end. They were the only two people he'd listen to half the time, unless the other performers were nice toward him. Shout at him and he'd kick you so hard, you'd have to cover your shins for a month.

String, smart and agile…maybe if she knew him all the while they grew up, she could become more than a friend.

-S-

The man just about fell when the two kids turned toward him, and Slade watched from the shadows at one Tony Zucco. Sabotaging the rigging for the trapeze, was he? He was lucky nobody noticed him other than Slade, otherwise he'd himself jail sooner than his stupid head could spin. And if he would have fiddled with the wires before Robin went on—Slade would kill him personally. There was no way he was going to let his apprentice die from a simple fall. If he ever died, it would be after endless years of serving Slade as his student and his son.

If that woman wouldn't have showed up, Slade would have grabbed him right then and there.

"But, mom—can't I act with you? I promise I'll hold on tight!"

Hmmm…the boy was a natural daredevil from the start…nice…

"Not without a net, dear. Maybe when you're older."

The expected excuse from a worried mother.

"That's what you always say…" He pouted, but took his mother's hand when she held it out to him and walked with her and that girl to prepare for the evening. It was hard to believe such a small cute kid was the brutal Boy Wonder whom every villain in Jump City learned to fear as easily as they learned to count. But there was still the agility, bravery, and intelligence the young boy possessed that would lead him to become a crime fighter. The only solution to make sure that didn't happen was to go back and take Robin _before_ he became the hero. Not knowing how to fight, this young Robin wouldn't pose as much trouble to kidnap and sneak away from anyone who could save him. He was just some feather-weight eight year old whom you could pick up and throw over you shoulder no matter how hard he kicked and screamed.

It was almost too easy.

He wanted to laugh, but kept quiet for the sake of watching Zucco unnoticed. Slade was going to enjoy watching the Graysons die tonight, because in the instant Robin saw them dead he would be at the breaking point. In shock and horror, he'd put up a weak struggle against Slade both physically and mentally and probably go so far as break out crying as Slade dragged him away to begin his work on his apprentice. And Slade was going to enjoy every single last second of watching Robin tremble and shatter beneath his hand and word…it was going to be worth every last moment of his time…it was going to be so enjoyable.

He clenched his fist as Robin walked out from his view with his mother and friend. He could have taken him then…could have…but that would cut the fun in half. Slade wanted him to see his parents die to prove to the boy that he was filling in the spot of his father and that there was no one who could stop him.

Zucco, the fool, finished his work and scurried away, waiting to see the Headlines on tomorrow's news—Graysons! Dead! He didn't even believe there was anyone else left in the tent, observing him closely. He'd leave Zucco's death to Batman who was fated to kill him anyway…well, not intentionally. Zucco was doomed to die of a heart attack of the simple terror of seeing the Dark Knight.

How pathetic.

Now all that was left to do was wait and see…and soon snatch away the robin from its nest.

-A-

Alex: Well, I can't wait until I can write the next chapter…hint, hint.

Slade: Maybe. You have other work to do.

Victor: It's my job to boss him around.

Alex: With time comes change, Victor. Deal with it until I figure out a way to get rid of this guy.

Slade: You're welcome to try, but the chances of victory are at a minimal. I cannot guarantee you will benefit from the outcome of the fight.

Alex: Fight or die—either is just savvy with me.

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	28. Chapter four: Meeting

Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Alex: Thanks for the advice, people. You're so kind… (_Wipes away a tear_). **Insaneiac the Maniac**, I'll try my best not to make eye contact and I suppose I could _try _not to push his buttons. And **…**, it's too late for that. Oh, and, **Rebel-Aquarius**—make an account already! I want to read what you have written! **"_Everyone else_"** thanks for your reviews. They are always much appreciated—and! (As I have been told numerous times) If you had an idea similar to this, do not hesitate to write it. I want to see what you guys would do with the whole Slade and young Robin thing—just tell me if you write it so I can read it!

Strange…I'm alone today…and it feels weird…

DISCLAIMER: Hmmm…I don't think they hire sixteen-year-olds to draw animation for cartoon networks. I'd have to be a young genius for that to ever happen…

CHAPTER FOUR: Meeting

"Why do I feel so dizzy…?"

"It's the after effects of using the watch. Give yourself a second to adjust and then you'll be able to see again…"

"Warn me next time when you're going to do something like that, dude."

"I'll try, Relish."

Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head, sitting up from his lying position on the hard ground. It was dark outside and slightly chilly from the evening air. Apparently, they were all in a dark alleyway, shaking their heads as they tried to stand. Everyone was pale, and Starfire usual orange skin was now a pale yellow. It made her look sick.

"A few adjustments need to be made, but it seems to be working." Jaze said lightly as though the after-affects were nothing. Brushing himself off, he lent a hand to Beast Boy for support.

Once on his feet, Beast Boy teetered from side to side, grabbing onto the brick wall of a building as he tried to gain his balance. The others were soon standing as well and he found, after a few seconds of just standing there, he felt better again rather quickly. The colour returned to everyone's face and Starfire started to glow.

"Refreshing!" Starfire squealed, levitating in the air as she stretched her arms high above her head. She hovered just above Robin and landed next to him once she felt better. "Please—may we do it again?"

"Maybe another time, Star." Robin grinned. "But right now we have to find Slade."

"At the circus."

Everyone stopped and looked to Beast Boy. He remembered Jaze telling him that when they thought Robin was dead—he didn't know why he just remembered that, but he did. That, in itself, was a miracle.

"What?" He shrugged. "Robin's an acrobat, and seeing that he's here to get revenge or something—that's probably where he'll be." Cyborg and Starfire gave Robin a curious look, eyeing him in utter confusion. "What—the costume wasn't enough of a clue?"

Beast Boy could tell Robin was rolling his eyes behind his mask, but their leader didn't appear to be insulted. "Okay, okay—Beast Boy is right about the circus, now would you quite staring?"

Cyborg shrugged. "That makes perfect sense now—I mean…you're a really strict guy, but your costume was so colourful…it just never sat well with me in the beginning. It didn't match your personality—"

"Enough of the analysis!" Jaze shouted. "Knowing Slade, we have one hour to get there and stop him."

"What happens in one hour?"

The eyes were on Robin again as he sighed. "That's when my parents die…"

-S-

Hiding was a lot easier than what he expected, not to mention no one bothered him even if they did see him. His suit was evidently a usual sight among circus performers.

Sitting in the crowd, he wore a long coat over his suit and a wide-brimmed hat similar to Jaze's to hide his head. A black scarf was wound tightly around the lower half of his head to hide most of his face, and he sat near the entrance to the "backstage". Once the Graysons died, the entire crowd and cast would be in frenzy. That was the opportune time to grab Robin, and that was what should happen if nothing went wrong. In case something did, well…let's just say he had a back up for the back up.

Grinning behind his mask, he smiled as the show began. First was the lion tamer and soon, near the end, the Graysons would fly…

…for the last time…

-LR(Little Robin)-

"Aw, Robin—why didn't you dry your hair?" His mother scowled, turning around and ruffling his spiky hair. She frowned gently in her motherly-way before breaking out with a warm smile. "I told you to get ready earlier. You could have showered before you decided to practice."

"In the dark no less, Mary." His father, John Grayson, scolded playfully. Ella probably told him. "You could have sprained or broken something, Richard. Why didn't you listen?"

He shrugged his small shoulders and acted as though he thought nothing of it. "It makes it all the more fun."

His mother ruffled it again and it only became spikier. That was really the only reason he had it spiky in the first place—every time he tried to put it straight down, his parents cut it and ruffled it up again to no end. He gave up long ago trying to make them stop.

"Well, we'd better get ready." Mary sighed, straightening her own hair as thunderous applauds and roars of laughter came from inside the ring. The clowns were exiting and that was their Q to enter. "Ready, Robin?"

Since when hadn't he been?

Nodding, he followed his parents out from the tent as their introduction began. The only light was the spotlight on the ring master, but the family of three made their way easily to the ladder and climbed up, John and Mary on one end, Robin on the other. When he did his first trapeze act, he could remember how he trembled, staring down at the masses of people before he jumped. Jumping…was the hardest part. Once you were off solid ground, all the fear was gone and you felt like you were flying. All noises were deafened and all you could see were the swings and the ready hands reaching out to grab you.

It was wonderful.

"—I give you—the Flying Graysons!"

The acrobats always received the largest amount of applause, and tonight it was no different. There wasn't a person Richard met that didn't drop their jaw the first time they saw a trapeze act. Actually, on his way to the main tent Richard ran into a smaller boy named Tim who wanted to take his picture with Richard. This was the second time he ever saw the Graysons, and he couldn't stop telling Richard how awesome it was that he was just a kid.

But didn't a lot of kids do incredible things? Richard still didn't know why so many people wanted to be like him and his family…What was so special about it?

They jumped—and he jumped, adrenaline pumping through his body as excitement hummed in the back of his mind. It was always a thrill to do this, and the moment he released his grips on the swings…he was falling. His gut was lifting up into his chest and the ground was speeding toward his face until—

His parents each held out a hand and he caught them. They swung upside-down by their knees, smiling at Robin as they tossed him up again. He spun in mid-air at least twice before back flipping and reaching out to grab the next swing. He caught it and held on to it before he was swinging back toward his mother—his father having flipped off his own perch to grab another swing. The dance was in action and it smoothly continued for what felt like the longest, most happiest hours of his life—even though the act was no where near as long as an hour. It was ended pretty much the same way it always did, never failing to amaze the crowd how many times it happened. Thrown by his mother, he flipped four times in a row—the only kid in the world able to do that so far in the world—and was caught by his father until they landed by the platform next to the ladder.

There was a creaking noise above him, coming from the rigging, but John didn't hear it. Richard passed it aside as a part of his imagination, and started his descent toward the ground as the crowd continued to applaud. His parents were up next, showing the same routine he had seen so many times before he could have done it with them. But his mother had strict rules—he was to go and prepare for bed the moment he was done his performance. Otherwise, it would have been all the harder to wake him in the morning when they would be packing to leave for France.

He liked France…but he preferred Germany.

"Nice job, today, kid." Ella said as he entered the performers' area of the tent. It was right behind the bleachers and he could still hear the people gasping and clapping. "If you want to watch them, I promise I won't tell them…"

He bit his lower lip hard. Yes, he was bored of seeing the same routine for the last month and a half, but…he had to admit he liked it. And his parents were doing it without a net.

Okay—a peek wouldn't hurt anyone.

Stepping next to the parting in the tent fabric, he stared through to the main ring and watched as his mother swung from her perch to his father who held out his arms warmly to his wife.

He was entranced again. He didn't know how they did it, but they just amazed him…

_Snap! Snap!_

The swing suddenly gave way and, nothing left for them to grab, Mr. and Mrs. Grayson began their descent toward the ground. In a second—maybe two—they hit the floor with a sickening thud and lay lifelessly on the ground beside each other. The entire crowd gasped and a girl screamed good and shrilly as realization dawned in…

They weren't…but they weren't moving…but they had…they couldn't…

"Oh, God!" Ella's father, the tightrope walker gasped, grabbing Ella by her shoulders and turning her around sharply not to look at the scene. Richard, on the other hand, was paralyzed with shock…

"Richard?" He was shaken by one of the other performers, a woman who assisted the ring master. She knelt down in front of him, but he was totally oblivious to her. "Richard! Richard—look at me dear! Please—_Richard_!"

He didn't hear or see her…but his eyes were stinging with tears that flowed freely now…

_They're dead…_

She stood and was about to grab his hand when he sped toward the center ring, eyes pinned on his parents as men and women crowded around them to inspect the bodies and figure out if they were alive or not. But they knew they were dead—even Richard knew they were dead! Then why didn't they move! Why wouldn't they let him see them!

Numerous people bumped into him, and he barely made it past the stands when he rammed into a tall man stepping out casually in front of him. He would have said something, but a large lump was caught in his throat and swelling it painfully to the point where he could barely breath. And to add to that, the hit knocked him back on their ground where he sat for a second before standing up.

He had to get to mommy and daddy.

As soon as he stood, the dark figure came closer to Richard, people stepping aside as they ran around wildly. He was about to step around him as well before a strong hand closed around his right arm above the elbow in an iron grip. Pulling upward to force Richard to walk backwards awkwardly, more distance was slowly being put between him and the bodies of his parents as the man dragged him back toward the performers' area.

"Let go!" He yelled, struggling to free his sore arm. The man only pulled it higher in response and Richard couldn't hold back the tiny yelp which escaped his lips. "No! LET GO!"

"_Hush, small one_..." The man purred, turning his head slightly to stare down at Robin. One cold eye fixed on him, and the boy was silent as the scarf fell down from his face to rest nicely around his neck and shoulders. There was a mask—half black and half orange, with only a single hole for that harsh left eye and four tiny vertical cuts at the bottom of the mask for the man to breathe and speak. It sent shivers down Robin's spine, but he found he couldn't stop staring.

"Pleas let go…" Robin asked quietly, his voice hoarse from holding back more tears. "I have to see my parents."

"They are dead, Robin—and what is dead is left to the past."

How could he say such a mean thing?

Enraged, Robin wound up his right foot and slammed a good kick into the man's shin—only to have his foot throbbing with pain from the metal grab covering it. He hadn't seen it due to the long coat, but he was sure the man had more tricks up his sleeve for the night.

"Richard!" Someone called over the crowd. The voice belonged to Ella and the second belonged to her father. "Richard, where are you!"

"I—" He began, but he was silenced by the hand covering his mouth as the man pushed him further back. Many of the people were gone by now, and the man was taking him to the dark hallway that led from one tent to another. Everyone abandoned it to see the two parent Graysons after their fatal fall, none noticing Robin as he was taken from their view.

One alone, the man dropped his hand from Robin's mouth and released the boy's arm. Slipping off the coat, scarf and hat, he revealed a black suit adorned with armor to cover the necessary areas. He was an ominous figure, and Richard had no idea what was keeping him from screaming right then and there. Maybe he was too afraid, or maybe he was still in shock from seeing his parents fall…

'_Be brave.'_ Richard could recall hearing his father say that first time Robin ever tried a performance. He was scared half to death, but he found great solace in those two simple words.

_Be brave._

Frowning, Richard eyed the man cautiously. "You're not a pederast, are you?"

The man, who had started forward toward the boy, froze in his tracks, seemingly taken by surprise at the question. Either he was shocked at being caught, or he surprised that the boy knew such a difficult word.

"No." He said seriously. "I do not have 'love affairs' with little boys."

Close enough to the man, Richard wound his leg up again and hit him in the joy-stick before the man could fathom what he was doing. "Could have fooled me." He muttered before turning around in a flash and dashing down the hallway. Tears still threatened to fall, but he forgot all about crying when he glanced over his shoulder and saw the man running after him. He was making good speed too…

"_Yikes!_" Richard yelped as he tried to pick up the pace. Evidently, the man was used to getting hit in the groin, either that or he was castrated…Why the heck was Richard letting his thoughts wander? He was supposed to be running for his life!

Turning to look the way he was going, he only wished he had seen the young man sooner. Hitting head on to the boy, they tumbled together in a small blur of colours before Richard sat up on the kid's lap. He was dressed exactly the way he was except…Richard's cape was all yellow, he didn't have steel-toe protection over his boots, his mask wasn't late malevolent and he didn't have a belt around his waist.

But the kid looked like he could have been his older brother.

"Sorry." Richard whispered, somewhat grateful he wasn't left alone with the creepy man anymore.

Speaking of which…

-A-

Victor: (_Laughing so hard he can hardly breathe._)

Alex: O.o? What's so funny?

Victor: Oh my God…that was just right…hahahaha…

Alex: What was?

Victor: When Little Robin asked Slade the question. It's not like no one ever wondered that about Slade…

Alex: I'm sorry—but I had to add that in. If I was seven or eight and was being kidnapped by some creepy guy, I would worry about that too. It never hurts to ask, though, and kids usually ask a question even when they know they probably shouldn't. Being a brave, smart little kid, I thought that would be something Robin would ask.

Robin: Yeah…I was worried about that too.

Alex: I'm glad you agree with me. Now get back into the story. I'm far from finished.

_I'll see you soon,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	29. Chapter five: Perfect

Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Alex: Salve, amici!

Victor: Latin?

Alex: I wish you would learn. Then I could talk to you without my younger sister butting in.

Victor: I do know. I've been taking lessons—try me!

Alex: Hmmm…_latinus est liber; libertas est latinus._ What did I just say?

Victor: Latin is free; freedom is latin.

Alex: Hazzah!

DISCLAIMER: I think we all know who owns them—certainly not me.

CHAPTER FIVE: Perfect

Robin didn't know what was weirder. Seeing his parents die, or running right into his younger self when he probably should have saved him. He was sitting in the crowd, watching sadly as his parents fell again, until, of course he saw _him_. The only person who wasn't trying to scramble and see the Graysons was Slade, and Robin could tell it was him just by staring at him. He had an air about him that was hard not to shiver in.

It was hard to follow Slade, and soon he had lost sight of him when he heard a young child screaming to be released. He heard Ella and her father, the tightrope walkers, yelling for Richard, but not even Robin could find the boy. None of this was part of his memory…the only explanation could be time. It was already written out, planned from the start, and wouldn't change much of anything unless there was a change too drastic to go unnoticed.

"_You'll most likely pass out and return to the future."_ Jaze explained to them before they split up. _"Your memories of the past you once knew will be replaced with whatever changes. That is the way time tries to heal itself, though sometimes it is lazy and will allow for certain things to happen without possibility—like the paradox with the woman and the green bracelet."_

Well, so far he was still in the past and all old memories remained. That meant there was still a chance to save himself…so to speak.

Losing sight of Slade, he took a shortcut outside and entered a set-up hall between the two largest of the tents for performers to use. It was near empty in the darkness until he made out the faint silhouettes of a tall ominous figure and a short thin child.

"—Could have fooled me." The kid muttered, kneeing Slade between the legs. Then he started running off, Slade only pausing a moment to adjust to the pain. Obviously, Slade didn't expect a fight from Robin's younger self.

Robin saw the boy running his way and expected the boy to stop—but instead the kid ran right into him, knocking them both over as they tumbled down the hall and landed in a heap. Sitting on his lap, Richard sat up and rubbed the back of his head painfully before staring at Robin oddly and managing to apologize in his confusion.

Heavy footsteps sounded behind them and both boys turned their head to see Slade right there. Robin tried to stand before Slade's foot came down on his head, but Richard was still on his lap, watching Slade fear filled eyes. The best Robin could do was turn his back to Slade as he sat up and pushed Richard forward off of him.

Slade hit him hard, knocking him unconscious momentarily. The next thing he knew, he was lying back down on the ground again, his vision slowly returning to see Slade throw a kicking and screaming Richard over his shoulder.

"Let go! Let Go! LET GO!" The child yelled at the top of his lungs, trying his best to get down off Slade's shoulder.

"Release him." Robin said weakly; still dizzy from the kick to the head. He reached to his belt and pulled out his grappling hook when Slade turned his back on him, not yet noticing that the older Boy Wonder was still conscious. Without much need for aim, Robin shot it out just as Slade started off. He was tuning out the little Robin out quite well and didn't hear the soft hiss of the grappling hook as it shot out toward his legs, tightening just below his knees and almost tipping him over completely.

Falling to his knees, Slade made the mistake of releasing the little Robin, who, his kind nature kicking in, ran to Robin and knelt beside him to help him up.

"Go." Robin ordered, but the command was gentle. "I can handle this on my own. I want you to find Batman."

The child stared at him in utter bewilderment as Boy Wonder shook the dizziness from his head and forced himself to his feet. He couldn't believe this was his younger self…

He was going to have a headache for a month.

"Go!" Robin shouted this time, just as Slade freed his legs and started to stand. The Dark Knight was supposed to show up soon (if some of the past was still the way it should be) and that meant Robin only had to hold out against Slade for a short while. Batman would have heard the screaming—he always did, even if others didn't. That was something he was good at—like a true bat.

"How amusing." Slade laughed in his sinister way. His one eye followed the little Robin as he ran down the hall toward the other tent, away from the crowd. Then it returned to Robin as he shook his head. "But this will have to wait, Robin. You're future is in my hands now."

"Yeah right!" Robin bit back. He was in no mood for this. "How the heck are you supposed to do that? I went with Batman this night, and once that happens your chance will be gone."

"_Really_?..." Robin didn't like the way Slade made that sound. He could almost imagine the lips of the villain curling upward into a twisted smile. "He won't come if he's distracted…"

"But—"

It was too late to question Slade. Before Robin could react, his worst enemy took a smoke bomb from his own belt and tossed it to the ground before Robin. It filled the hallway instantly and left Robin coughing his lungs out as his eyes burned. He could _just_ see enough to move around carefully, and it was enough to spot the figure that passed in front of him not too far away.

Pulling two birdarangs from his belt, Robin waited until the figure moved closer before taking aim and releasing them in a graceful throw. There was the sound of one making its mark, but the second was silent…almost as though it were caught.

The smoke was fading, but Robin's consciousness was leaving him faster. Squinting, he saw what he saw and his eyes widened in panic, forcing him to take a few feeble steps back. Striding toward him through the smoke was none other than the Dark Knight, tossing down one birdarang and pulling the other from his soft protective chest plate beneath the costume. The weapon made its mark alright, and now Robin was going to pay…

Head aching, he gasped a silent "no" before he fell to his knees. Vision fading, the last thing he saw was the dark figure closely in on him, hovering over him like any angry storm cloud. With a swoosh of his cape, the Dark Knight took Robin up into his arms and the Boy Wonder knew he was in for one hell of a ride…

-LR-

He wanted to stay—honestly. Seeing that boy all alone with that creep made him feel so…guilty. He felt as though he could have done much more—anything!

Well, he was going to get help, wasn't he?

Running faster than ever before, Robin ignored the dryness of his sore throat and the painful sting that was growing in his lungs as he barely escaped the cloud of smoke chasing after him. He felt like he had the hounds of hell on his heels, but that was pretty much close enough. As long as he didn't see that man again, he would be just fine.

Finding the flap of the tent material, he ran outside and—

Stumbling back, he rubbed his forehead gingerly. That was the third time in a row he had run into someone that night, and it was totally unlike him. Usually he was so well coordinated, but tonight? What the hell was going on with tonight? First his parents die—and then some man tried to abduct him!

When would it end?

"So sorry…" Robin apologized weakly, his voice small from age and yelling his lungs out. "But I need help!"

"Calm down for a moment. I couldn't hear a word of what you just said."

Robin blinked, looking up at the elderly man with short white hair and a slightly British dialect. He knelt before Robin and stared him straight in the eyes as he rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Now, would you mind saying that again, little one. You'll have to speak up for my old ears."

Robin tried to speak again, but his voice could only produce hoarse nonsense. His throat was parched.

"Here." The man offered, handing Robin the water bottle he held in his other hand. "Something to wet your whistle."

Robin took it graciously with a thankful nod and took a few gulps before handing it back to the man.

"I said I—I…I…" His vision doubled and he swayed, almost falling over if it hadn't been for the man's steady hand on his shoulder. "Who…are you?" He asked softly, more so from the nausea-ness than from manners.

The man didn't seem deaf, even after having 'old ears'. "I am called Wintergreen, little one, now just hush up and close those weary eyes of yours. I can guarantee you'll feel much better in a couple of hours…"

He could say nothing to protest as he swayed again. The man stood then and walked to Robin's left, swinging Robin's legs out from under him by the back of his knees and taking him up into his arms.

Unable to speak or see, and feeling as heavy as lead, Robin slowly passed out in the man's arms as he started out for his destination. Wherever that was—Robin didn't want to know, but he had a growing fear that it was back to that other man…

-B-

Seated in a chair at the police department, hands cuffed behind the chair, Batman watched the teenaged boy shake his head dizzily as he came back from the little rest. Belt on the table, the Dark Knight had gone through every single device and wasn't too happy to find a ton of explosives and blades to destroy downtown Gotham. And what was with the nonsense at the circus? Could this kid be behind it?

Actually, if not for the weapons, Bruce would have guessed the kid was one of the acrobats. His small figure and lithe form suggested such a thing.

"What the…" The boy started groggily. Out of respect for masks, Batman allowed the boy to keep his on. He couldn't see the boy open his eyes, but the mask represented enough of the eyebrows to reveal that he was awake. And seeing that he could speak…

"You're at the police station." He said the same way he spoke to any other criminal. Kid or not—this boy could do quite the number on the city. "Care to guess _why_ you are here?"

The boy shook his head once before frowning at Batman. "Tonight is really not my night…"

"Well, you should have thought about that before you decided to set off a smoke bomb and kill the Graysons."

"Not me." He replied just as seriously. It was hard to tell if he was telling the truth or lying. "There's no way I would ever kill them—and the smoke isn't mine. If you checked my belt, you would have noticed that I don't have any on me."

"Quite fooling around." He snapped. "This isn't my night either. I have two dead bodies and a missing kid who could have been taken by just about anyone in the frenzy. Do you have any idea what could be happening to him right this instant."

"Something you would never believe me about." Was the cocky reply, something that Batman wasn't in the mood for tonight. "You should be hunting him down instead of questioning me."

He frowned. Boy was this kid defiant. "I'm already on it—and what makes you think you're not on the suspect list? The price for jail is quite a few years, but maybe it'll be shorter if you tell me where the kid is. Feel like losing half your life in a prison?"

"I didn't kill the Graysons and I didn't kidnap the kid—it was Slade!"

"And who is Slade?"

"He's—"

"More importantly—who are you?"

The boy paused at that, almost as though realizing where he was for the first time. It was a sign of concealing important information—information that could be very useful to Batman.

"Well!" The caped crusader pushed, steeping close to the boy and grabbing him by the front of his shirr. The boy looked up at him in confusion. "What's you name?"

"I…I can't remember."

What? What kind of answer was that! This punk didn't actually expect him to believe—

The boy started to panic. "I knew it…but I can't remember…that can only mean that something bad is going to happen…" He looked up at Batman, fear rising in his voice. "You have to stop Slade—you have to find him! He's somewhere in the city, but I don't know where…I don't know…I don't know!"

Batman stepped back from the boy, watching as the kid's head hung forward. This was no act—the kid was sincerely breaking down due to a lack of memory. What triggered it…he had no idea. Perhaps the smoke? No…even he inhaled a little of that…

"What does this 'Slade' look like?" He asked in a calmer voice for the sake of the boy's sanity. "Do you know what he looks like, or is this mofia style where you get a call and that's all you know?"

"Black and orange…" The boy said softly, almost below a whisper. "A mask covers his face and it is half black—half orange. His left eye is the only eye you can see because his right eye is supposedly blind. Tall, strong build…not the type of guy to underestimate."

"And without the mask—do you know what he looks like?"

The boy hesitated…For a moment, Batman thought the kid was keeping something from him, but it must have been something else…

"No…I don't know what he looks like under the mask. He never takes it off when anyone else is around, so it really doesn't matter…"

A man who always wore a mask…Indeed, he was not the type to underestimate…

-S-

He met up with him as it began to rain, staying temporarily at an inn far down town until Slade could find _him_ and complete his mission. His old army comrade—Wintergreen—came back with him to help him along that way. If Robin came back in time, he was sure to spoil Slade's plans. At least with a thinking partner, he could possibly pull this stunt off in less time.

Throwing the coat and hat disguise onto a chair upon entering. Slade stared at Wintergreen who was sitting at the kitchen area table reading a book. "Where is he?" Was his first question, wanting to see the prize with his own eyes before he could allow for himself to relax.

Wintergreen looked up from the book and his eyes darted to a door in the corner as he nodded in the general direction. "In there, asleep in bed. I gave him a sedative when I caught him and such a thing should keep him out for quite the while considering how small he is. What a catch this one is, sir."

"Indeed…"

Strolling toward the door, he opened it gently and slipped inside quietly. It was dark inside the room with the thick blinds covering the wide window, but enough light escaped into the room for him to make out the furniture. On the bed, under the covers and curled up into a ball, he could see the small heap that was the child. His head was tucked under the covers as well, but his short black spiky hair stuck out and identified him as Robin. His breathes were slow and even, the sign of someone trapped in a deep sleep.

"Perfect…" He whispered. He explain something to the child when he woke, but for now…this was the last time he'd sleep in peace, unless he was more willing to adjust to change than his future self was…

The robin was no longer a free bird.

-A-

Alex: I'm as happy as ever! Hazzah! I got rid of Slade…well…actually, Victor did. A big round of applaud for the guy always stuck in the far corner of my stories!

Victor: Yeah, but someone else is using his account.

Alex: As long as no one bothers me again, I'm fine—that means I won't have to take off time from my stories! Oh—and I'm working on the next chapter to Blast, for all you people who keep reminding me. I have a lot to do…sigh…

Victor: Yeah—and I have extra school to do since I came here halfway through the year! That's unfair.

Alex: True…but while your American friends are back in school, we'll be in the Rocky Mountains.

Victor: Really? I didn't know that…Cool! I get to see the mountains!

Alex: It's only a few hours away…I love Canada.

Victor: I like America better, but Canada has its upside.

Alex: Gee…thanks…(_Rolls eyes_.)

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon,_

_And,_

_Victor Van Heiring_


	30. Chapter six: The cruel truth

Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Hmmm…not much to say right now. I like the little predictions you are coming up with so please keep them coming. Sometimes you guys are absolutely off it makes me laugh, and at other times you are so close I have to applaud you in secret. Well, without further delay—I give you chapter six!

(And I'm really sorry if the grammar in the last chapter sucked. I wrote that around one am in the morning, so I made everything simple)

DISCLAIMER: Dear people, I could never own something like this. It's far beyond what my skills are capable of producing.

CHAPTER SIX: Persuasion

"What a funny looking dog!" The kid giggled with a bold finger pointed at the tall green dog. He laughed some more before his mother hushed him up and continued dragging him toward the parking lot. The circus was closing for the police to investigate the death of the Graysons and the sudden disappearance of their only child, Richard.

What a night.

Running behind a tent, safe from the view of spectators, Beast Boy switched back to his humanoid self and rubbed the back of his head in defeat. "Sorry sigh. I can't pick up a thing. Too much smoke—smells like someone was trying to burn the place down."

The mechanical boy and the green changeling were stuck searching the west side of the circus where the main tent was located. While Beast Boy was doing circles around it in search of Slade, Cyborg had gone inside to see if he could spot the mastermind. He was there…that much they knew. Cyborg saw Robin running after someone.

"What is it?" beast Boy asked, noticing the melancholy air to his comrade. "Got bitten "

"No…" He replied weakling, playing over the footage he recorded in his left mechanical eye. "It was…the Graysons. Man—Robin can really flip, but…I saw them fall…"

"Oh…" This merited silence from the chatterbox boy and the changeling decided it would be for the best if there no questions were asked. It was one of the more intelligent things he had ever done as he transformed back into a dog and raced over to search again.

Starting in the other direction, Cyborg just thought of something.

"Where the heck is Robin?"

-LR-

He wasn't a hard sleeper—actually, he rarely slept. Even after a performance sleep never came easy for him and he had so far adjusted to that. He always had enough energy to do what he needed to do, and that was that.

Perhaps that was why he felt so sore and heavy when he woke this time. Maybe the who ordeal that happened last night was all a bad dream—what if his parents hadn't fallen at all…But this wasn't home.

Blinking his eyes, he rubbed them gently with a small fist and suppressed a yawn. He was alone in the dark, but enough light escaped the blinds to lighten the room, revealing a large bed and few pieces of furniture for the owner or guest. It was a hotel room—that much was certain—but where in town it could be was beyond his knowledge. He traveled the world and had no time to memorize a map of every place he went. Besides, he usually had his parents with him.

Curled up warmly beneath the covers, he shivered from the memory and pulled his knees closer to his chest. His back was to the door and he was almost tempted to try and open it…But what about those two men? Were they going to kill him or torture him? Did they work for Zucco, holding him prisoner until Haly paid up? He didn't know…he almost didn't want to know.

A single tear escaped his eye and he wiped it away hastily before more could follow. He had to hold it in. He couldn't afford to let those men know he was afraid. Men took advantage of fear…

One was Wintergreen, the man with the white hair and British dialect. Considering how old he was, his physique was pretty good and he was damn good at confusing kids. All he had to do was make Robin think he was safe before handing him a bottle filled with a watered down sedative. Robin hadn't even tasted anything wrong, not actually noticing his mistake until it was too late to run. What a fool he had been…

Then there was the second man, a tall strong figure that was ominous and dark. His voice was cool and collective, seductive and careful. The way he spoke and the way he moved suggested a man of experience who was probably a mercenary for the majority of his life, and the air around him was cold and sinister. If this made any sense—you could just feel that he was evil. Robin's stomach flipped just at the thought of the man, the only person he ever met that reminded him of a snake. He was a manipulator and a sneaky fellow, who used everything he could get his hands on to his advantage. All in all, Robin guessed the man probably never took no for an answer and was the type to get _exactly_ what he wanted _when_ he wanted him. He didn't answer questions and he had no time for failures.

That much Robin could tell about the man and, if he and Wintergreen were the only people concerned in this crime, he was most certainly the leader of the group. He's the one that called the shots and changed the plans to his liking.

He'd have to find a way around him.

Silent, Robin could hear the two men talking softly on the other side of the door. Something about…the Teen Titans…Who were the Teen Titans? Then there was a raised voice from the darker of the two men before Wintergreen could calm him down. Obviously they were making more plans, but what exactly did they want?

Sitting up, he slipped the heavy covers off himself and ran a hand through his messy hair. His mother was right in telling him to dry it last night. Now it was standing up and almost knotted.

Brushing it out with his fingers, he noticed he was still in his costume. His capes and gloves were placed on a chair in the far corner of the room, but his green cloth boots were still kept on, being more of socks than boots. Even his eye-mask was kept on.

Jumping out of bed as quietly as he could, he crept toward the door and knelt beside it. There was a crack beneath the door and with that just he could hear the conversation clearly…

"—and when shall we contact him, sir? How are we supposed to make this work?"

"I've thought it over numerous times now, Wintergreen, and believe me when I say this will work. As for the Teen Titans, I doubt we will see much of them until they free their leader from jail. The Dark Knight took the bait—he thinks it was Robin who killed the Graysons and kidnapped Richard."

Robin? That kid dressed like him and had the same name as him? What—was he one of his relatives?

"But suppose Robin convinces him that you were behind it, Slade."

"He has no proof but his own word—and the word of a criminal is something many men do not trust. No one else saw me and I am sure the rest of the Titans have no clue as what to do know. They are weak without their leader."

"They saved him before."

"Only because he was prepared and kept me busy. This younger version of himself knows nothing of the martial arts and he is practically weightless. You need at least some weight in order to add pain to a punch, and I doubt he'll gain much of that any time soon. Even at fifteen he is below the line."

"He is still smart. Brains before bronze."

"But chains before freedom. You have to break the chains with strength before you can quiz your way out of a predicament."

"True…"

Slade…the man was called Slade. Whether that was his real name or not, a name was power. Once you gave a title to your fears, half the fear is eliminated, for it is common sense that those who have names can be touched, and that which can be touched can be destroyed.

That was something his father told him when he was afraid of such foolish things as ghosts. He called them 'No-bodies' when he walked through the circus alone at night, and the name alone seemed to add humor to the horror.

Slade it was.

But what were they talking about—himself being young and then himself at fifteen? They weren't talking about time travel, or something along the way of that…were they?

He leaned his ear closer to the door until the right side of his head was pressed against the wood. They were talking softer now and he could barely make out what they were saying…

-S-

"Why the hushed voice, sir?"

Slade paused, listening, before he raised a finger to his masked face and suggested silence. He heard something move behind the door and that could mean only one thing.

Smiling, he looked back to Wintergreen. "It looks like our guest it awake. I'm sure he has many questions."

Wintergreen nodded, leaning back in his chair as he stared at the door. Slowly, Slade made his way across the room and grabbed the doorknob…holding it for a count of ten before he abruptly pulled it over.

Nothing…

He looked at the bed and saw Robin still asleep the same as he was before. Maybe it was his imagination? He was pretty worried at losing the child…

Closing the door, he turned back to Wintergreen who shrugged.

"I'm edgy too, sir." Wintergreen said for support. "He is a smart little fellow."

Too smart…

The moment the child knew what was going on, there would be no doubt he was going to try whatever he could to escape. Then he'd run for help and meet Batman. Once that happened, Robin would belong to the Dark knight and history would repeat itself. As long as the two never got the chance to make acquaintances, Robin was free to perfection.

Slade clenched and unclenched his fist. He was walking on a thing line—even if he had numerous chances to redo this. He still had the time machine strapped to his writs, but the Titans had the other…Wherever he went, they were sure to follow. And so the chain would continue…

He stood by the door in thought. Something was still bothering him…

-LR-

He just about had a heart attack when one of the two men opened the door. He was glad he had a trustworthy intuition, otherwise he would have fallen out into the room when the door was opened It was such a close call…his heart was still hammering in his chest.

Finally calm, he slipped out of bed once more and sat on the floor to the left of the door, back against the wall. The men were no longer talking, but there was still the chance that they would start planning again. Either that or they had gotten smart and decided to write down their ideas rather than say them.

No doubt there.

He sneezed. It was pretty quiet and he covered his face when it happened, but—if this was anything like the movies—the villain would check out the noise. He didn't think anyone heard him, but such a soft sound seemed so loud now that he was a prisoner. It made his heart speed up again as he held his breath, waiting to see if—

The door slammed opened next to him and Slade leaned into the room. He didn't see Robin at first and that gave the boy enough time to scramble away from the door and stand. Slade and to turn his head all the way to see with his one eye, and he didn't look at all the least bit pleased.

"My, aren't we the smart one?" He said in his usual voice, creeping Robin out to no end. "But here's a word of advice—captors always double-check…"

Robin started backing up as the man came into the room. He back met the wall by the window as Slade loomed closer, and he could barely hear anything above the beating of his heart.

Close enough, the man knelt before Robin until he was eye-level and grabbed Robin by the front of his shirt. Pulling them face to face, Robin could feel the warm breath of the other man on his face as he tried hard not to make a sound.

"Sleep well, Robin? I hope we didn't disturb your peace…"

"How do you know my name?" He asked, honestly afraid of this man.

"Uh uh, Robin. You answer my questions first."

He frowned slightly, trying to douse his fear with anger. "No—I didn't sleep well. And no—nothing you did woke me. I woke on my own."

The man glanced at his wrist watch…or was it a wrist watch. It looked a little…different. "Ten hours…not bad, though I would have preferred to keep you sedated for a while longer. No matter though. Now we can talk."

He released the front of Robin's shirt and stood, grabbing the boy's hand in his own before Robin could move away. He was taken to the living room area where the other man sat uncaring in the far corner by the table. He was reading and didn't put his book down until Robin sat on the couch across from Slade.

"Awake I see." Wintergreen chuckled, sitting down to the left of Robin. Robin slid down to the other end of the couch, Slade's eye following him carefully. "But now that you're awake, I'm sure you have questions to ask."

Yes, he did. But would he ask them—most likely not. He was too afraid to think of what to say.

Finally, after debating what to ask, he started with the basic question. "Why am I here?'

Wintergreen smiled and turned to Slade. "Would you like to answer that?"

Robin shivered mentally. He would have preferred to have the older man explain. At least he acted kinder.

Slade didn't even look at Wintergreen. He was still eyeing Robin in a weighing manner, but he answered all the same.

"You're kidnapped because you are being adopted."

Whoa…Stop. Rewind. Play.

"Say that again, please?"

Slade laughed. "Since you asked so nicely—you were kidnapped because I am…_adopting_ you."

Now the majority of the fear was chucked aside by confusion before realization dawned in on him… "Then you admit it—you did kill my parents!" This notion prompted action and he was about to lunge at the man over the coffee table before an arm shot out and caught him as he stood. He was pushed back down to sit and was stiff in silence after being winded.

Slade was laughing again, and the room seemed colder… "I said nothing of the sort. I _knew_ your parents were going to die, and that was why I came last night to retrieve you."

"Kidnapped me." Robin corrected fiercely. "_Retrieve_ is a light word."

"Hmmm…so there is no lying to you, is there?"

"If you didn't kill them, who—"

"Tony Zucco…"

Tony Zucco…Robin knew. He knew Zucco was going to do something but he didn't tell anyone. He could have warned his parents or someone else, and then they would be still alive. But then why didn't Haly warn anyone?

—No. Robin was just as much to blame as everyone else. But so was this man…If he knew innocent people were going to die, then why didn't he stop them?

Because he wasn't a man; he was a monster.

"Why me?" Robin said after his short session of deep thought. "There are others…"

Slade was finished laughing, that one eye narrowing more so to show that he was enjoying this rather than he was upset. Robin could almost imagine a spidery grin behind that mask. "No, Robin…there are none but you. Do you know what you can do in the future—do you know what you _are_ going to do in the future?"

After a long pause, Robin shook his head slowly. Did he _want_ to know?

"You will become one of the world's finest fighters. Strategy, skill, strength—you have everything. You already dismissed the idea of kicking and screaming, and why is that? Is that because you decided that the approach did nothing for you?"

True. He noticed that kicking and screaming did him no good, that talking was perhaps the best thing he _could_ do before he devised an escape plan.

"Not a lot of children are like that." Slade continued, his voice as serious as ever. "And you even thought to eavesdrop, almost escaping unnoticed. That isn't something all children do…"

Now he was afraid again…

"But that's not all Robin...If I never came and you found the Dark Knight, you would have become a hero. You would have saved the lives of many—striving to do everything you could for them no matter what it cost you. How noble…"

How could this man know this? How did he know Robin was going to become a hero—or that he was even going to find the Dark Knight. True, it crossed his mind to tell Batman about Tony Zucco, but how could this Slade know anything about that. Unless he could read minds…but that was just as outrageous as time travel and somehow the latter of the two seemed to be the case here.

"Then you want to kill me?" Robin asked plainly. "You're a criminal…and if I'm a hero, I'll only get in your way."

"I am man who takes everything he can and sees what he can make it into before he even considers the solution of death—and that is certainly not the answer for you. I am going to put you to very good use, and in the end you will thank me."

"W-what?" He asked, looking between the two men cautiously. "What does that mean?..."

Slade reached to a compartment at his belt and took something out. This he tossed to Robin—which he soon realized was a silver 'S'—an emblem of sorts to wear over your heart.

'S' for Slade.

"No…" Robin said, a little shaky as he dropped the emblem to the floor and stared back at the criminal wide-eyed. "It doesn't mean…No…No, please—"

"What you _are_ going to do is stand by my side and destroy this pathetic world that everyone knows. You will learn to be the best under my control, and from there on you and I will reshape this world as I will soon reshape you…"

"No…" Robin gasped again, a pain growing in his gut as it flipped again and tightened. This couldn't be happening. "Please _don't_—"

-A-

Alex: (_Covered from head to toe in mud_.) Well, I just got back from my school's Fun Day, and I must say—High School is a heck of a lot messier than Elementary.

Victor: (_Laughing so hard he can barely breathe—also caked in mud_) That was awesome! I never did anything like that in the states—and I even made you get dirty.

Alex: Only because you and everyone else decided to dump me in the mini-pool of mud. I was DJ-ing that event too!

Victor: Lighten up.

Alex: Lighten up! My mom is going to have a hissy fit when she sees me…

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

_And,_

_Victor Van Heiring_


	31. Chapter seven: Try, try again

Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Alex: (_Standing by the freezer, takes out a bucket of snow and starts rolling it up…_) I'm working on the next chapter to my Blast series… (_Rolling up tightly…_) …I've also started on the next to impromptu… (_Shaping it nicely now, Victor is entering the room, eyeing Robin in confusion…_) …This seems to be going nicely… (_Looks at it before smiling_…) And Victor here is about to get his just dessert!— (_Chucks it at his cousin and catches him square in the face._)

Victor: Ahhh! What the heck was that for! (_Wiping the snow off his face while shivering_.) I got some of that damn stuff down the front of my shirt…cold…

Alex: (_Rolling up another ball, chucks it at Victor and hits him in the chest. Victor tires to run, but is assaulted by five more snowballs before he's out of Robin's range_.) I had to take an hour long shower to get clean from the mud! And you ruined my t-shirt! My mom, surprisingly, wasn't the least bit angry…but I can still taste the dirt in my mouth! I spent a good half hour brushing my teeth, you demon! And don't you dare run, because I'm not through with you yet! (_Putting the bucket away in the freezer_.) And Victor could never understand why we Canadians keep fresh snow from the winter. It's the only thing you can throw at a person purposefully without getting sued… (_Grinning wickedly_.) And just wait until he gets home later. I'm going to get him with cold water through the hose. That'll make him think twice…hehehe…

DISCLAIMER: Snow is wonderful—oops—I mean…ahem…I never owned them and never will unless, by some miracle, this life is a coma dream and I really do own them in real life…That would be freak…

CHAPTER SEVEN: Try, try again

Since there were two of them, Slade and Wintergreen, while one rested, the other watched the kid. It came across Slade's mind to sedate him again, but the boy was a little…edgy. When you're a kid and you get a lot of rest—watch out! It's almost as bad as giving them sugar…

Wintergreen sat across from the small boy who was as still and silent as the dead. Slade was in the room with the door closed, resting for later on that night, while Wintergreen was left to supervise the child. Robin, after his small shouting-fest with Slade after the man handed him his future, now wore a black suit instead of his traffic light costume. It was meant to fit the body somewhat tightly like his acrobat suit to allow him to move about easier, but it was different from the one Slade made the older Robin wear back in the day. That one had the left half of the chest and back orange, while this was pure black. He didn't even have the neck guard, just a little something to protect his arms, thighs, and shins. Black gloves covered his hands and an empty belt hung at his slim waist, the compartments not ready to be filled until he was trusted with any form of weapon. Besides that was the matter of the mask…

If Wintergreen ever saw someone put up a good long fight against Slade, this kid was the one. He shouted colorful insults in every language he knew as Slade took the costume mask from his face and forced him to wear a more…sinister one. It was just like Boy Wonder's save for the upper ends in which they now turned upward to appear more menacing. Robin had to be pinned down before he would calm, trying to take off the mask whenever he could. He gave that little act up now, seeing that his hands were slapped away from his face whenever he tried, but Wintergreen could tell he would try again at any given moment. There was actually a moment when Wintergreen thought he saw a tear roll down Robin's cheek as Slade placed the mask on his face.

Wintergreen was going over a few _very important_ papers as Robin stared at him none-stop. There was a glass of water between them that Robin would sip from even then and again, trying hard to make Wintergreen edgy…Well, it was working. Just by looking at the kid you could note one intangible similarity between him and Slade—both were constantly viewing and planning. Robin was trying to think of an escape, watching for a simple mistake Wintergreen made.

It was unnerving. If ever having Slade watch his wasn't enough, now the man's heir was sending out the same creepy chills. But this was a kid…

And he still made Wintergreen nervous.

"Stop staring at me, young man." Wintergreen said softly, placing the papers down on the table. They were reports of…sorts.

"Who said I'm staring at you?"

"Your head is turned right at me."

"But my eyes aren't. If I didn't have this mask on you could tell…" And the boy began to raise a hand.

Wintergreen narrowed his eyes. "Nice try, but put down your hand and drink your water. You look pale."

" 'You look pale' ." Robin mimicked softly; rudely to annoy Wintergreen. But he obeyed and reached for his glass—knocking it over and spilling all the water over the table. A large puddle soon formed and caught the end of the papers before Wintergreen could save them, and so he tossed them onto the counter behind him before he stood. "Sit still." He ordered, reaching for a cloth by the sink. This he threw it onto the table and started to wipe up the mess. "You did that on purpose—didn't you."

Robin nodded with a mischievous grin and slipped off his chair to beneath the table before Wintergreen could blink. He leaned forward and almost caught the kid by his hair before he disappeared from sight, reappearing behind Wintergreen and running toward the door.

Straightening, Wintergreen spun around just as Robin jumped up and hit the bolt to the door up, unlocking it as he grabbed the doorknob. He pulled the door opened just a crack before Wintergreen caught him from behind around the waist and lifted him up, slamming the door shut with his free hand.

Letting the kid go, he re-bolted the top lock and frowned down at the glaring child. "Nice try, but you'll have to do better than that. Now either sit down or you'll regret it—"

"Why punish him?"

Both Wintergreen and the boy stared up at the bedroom doorway. Slade stood there with his hands behind his back, measuring them both with his one good eye.

"At least he thought of a plan and almost succeeded in escaping…" Slade continued, staring down particularly at Robin. Apparently, the boy held a type of fear against Slade that Robin did not have for Wintergreen. Just at the sight of the man, Robin's frown changed from angry to deeply worried as though he was afraid of more bad news. "He used you to his advantage…Good boy, Robin."

The young boy frowned truthfully at being called that, but said nothing in a rebuttal. His fear of Slade was sinking in again and that was exactly what Slade wanted it to do…

"I have a real name, you know." Robin snapped suddenly, crossing his arms across his chest in protest against Slade's demeaning comments. "Robin is just an acrobat nickname that—"

"—is used for a fighter, someone worthy to be my heir."

This, evidently, bit the boy in an unappreciated way. "I'm no one's successor but my parents'—and they're dead!"

"Hush, little one—it is not your turn to speak unless I want you to." Slade commanded in his usual threatening voice. "You _are_ my heir and that is the end of the story. Another foolish word from your mouth and I'll tape it shut."

This shut the kid up, even though it was apparent he didn't agree with Slade in the least. They really were a lot like each other…

"You may rest now, Wintergreen." Slade spoke to the older man, ignoring Robin as he glared hatefully at the villain. "I'll watch over the boy…"

That was right. They had only a few hours left until they were going to hunt down Batman and _kill_ him once and for all. It wasn't enough to keep him and Little Robin separated—they had to make sure they would _never_ meet. The only solution was to kill one and since Robin was out of the question…

Tonight would be an interesting night for Gotham…

-B-

He rubbed his sore eyes at he stared at the large screen. He was in the batcave, researching up everything he could on the Grayson kid who was either killed or tied up who-knows-where. No results had shown up for someone by the name of Slade yet, but the computers were still searching. In the meantime, it was no trouble looking up on Richard Grayson. He was the youngest acrobat of his time and some of the flips and tricks he could do were even impressive to Bruce—which you have to agree is quite hard to do. Teach that kid how to fight and he'd probably beat the tar out of any guy who tried to hurt another human being.

Poor kid, anyhow, with losing his parents and all that jazz. It actually urged Bruce to adopt the kid, which he ended up looking into if the child was ever found. If he _was_, then Bruce would be his legal guardian. He could support and educate the child, knowing what it felt like to lose his parents at such a young age, and perhaps he could teach him something more…

Robin was his name…

He looked like the kid still locked up at the station. There was no budging that soul. He was just about as tough as Batman—and that was saying something. Batman couldn't scare him at all and even shaking him up a little didn't work. Steel-toe boots, cape made from the same fire proof material Bruce's was, a belt loaded with enough explosives to blow Gotham to kingdom-come—this kid had a long business going here. But he would have had to have been as old as Richard to be that good by now…

What the heck was going on?

"Tea, sir?" Alfred asked, standing at the top of the cave stairs unnoticed until he spoke.

"Maybe later, Alfred. I can't take a break right now."

"I shall make some anyway, sir. Perhaps the caffeine will keep you awake longer."

"Then make it coffee, Alfred. That should do the trick."

"Very good, sir." And then he was gone, leaving Bruce to the dark silence of the cave.

Why did he suddenly feel so lonely?

-R-

Still cuffed, his only inmate was an intoxicated fool who was asleep with a hangover. He was bored to death and he had no idea how long he was going to stay there. So far, five men had tried to remove his mask—all failing. He didn't know what they were going to do with him in the morning, and he didn't want to know. He was worried about—

"You're free to go."

He head snapped up and he stared at the open cell door. The police officer was pointing at him. "Come on, kid. I don't have all day."

"What?..." He asked in confusion. "How can I be released? I was just arrested for—"

"Your lawyer is here and someone bailed you out. But if you want to stay, by all means—"

"No!" He said quickly and stood. Once outside the cell, the door was locked behind him and his cuffs were removed. It felt good to have them off—and he had to admit…it was funny being cuffed. He never was before…well…almost.

Following the guard, he wondered what Batman would do once he found out. Robin could avoid this younger Batman because Robin's first test to become a hero was to evade capture by the Dark Knight himself from sundown to sunup—he actually did it and that was a close call. It was damn scary having the Bat hot on your heels…

Stepping past the desks toward the front door, there stood Raven and Jaze—both dressed normally (Raven with jeans and a jacket and Jaze in a suit). He was so used to seeing them in 'fighting' costumes that he forgot they could pass as normal people too…

"Quite the bail there." Jaze said as they walked down the streets, finished with the paperwork and all that back at the station. Raven had a spare jacket which she gave to Robin to wear over his traffic light costume as they walked three abreast down the sidewalk to…somewhere.

"Where did you get the money to bail me out."

Jaze grinned, hands in his pockets as Raven contained a frown. "I stole it Boy Wonder. Any more questions?"

Somehow he knew Jaze would have stolen the money.

"Where are the others—and how did you find out about me?"

You're friends are at the hotel just three blocks away from here, and we found you because of Beast Boy's amazing nose. He would have tagged along too, but they don't allow green dogs—or any dogs that aren't theirs for that matter—into the station. Starfire doesn't know how to speak properly and Cyborg was having problems with this cloaking device thing built into his arm. He looked like a real kid for a split second there…"

As long as they were alright. But what about his younger self? There was a moment while Batman interrogated him that he forgot his real name. He knew his name was Robin—but what about Richard Grayson? The part about forgetting what Slade looked like was a lie—Robin knew, but he would never tell. Besides, you would never find the man anyway without his mask on.

"I know." Jaze said out of the blue, reading his mind. "That's why we're leaving the Bat to do all the searching while we follow him."

"And how do you know where he lives?"

Jaze tapped his right temple with a grin. "It was all in your head, boy-o—Bruce isn't that much of a secret anymore to me."

Raven raised an eyebrow, silently asking for more information, but the conversation ended there and the three of them walked onward quietly. The night was young and you could tell that the caped crusader was going to be out soon.

He was always out.

-LR-

It was fun to fool around with Wintergreen's mind, even if the man did stop him from escaping. Sitting in the same room as Slade was just nerve-wrecking—he couldn't stand it. He was terribly afraid of the man and tried hard not to focus on the new mask on his face. He hated it—he hated it so badly he actually tried to bite Slade a couple of times as he pinned him down to put the mask on. Fighting with tooth and nail was exactly what he tried to do—but as a little guy who was the feather-weight of the feather-weights, he stood no chance against the man. The mask made him feel labeled—like, as the man had said it before, he was being branded.

"_Branded—marked, Robin_." Slade told Robin as he slowly—and he meant _slowly_—put the mask on despite Robin's screaming pleas to stop. _"No one else owns you but I— and I do own you. Your defiance will soon die down and you will stand by my side peacefully in the end. Give it time—you'll see…"_

Here he sat again in the same spot he was last, except the chair was pulled farther back from the table and his hands were tied at the wrists behind the back of the chair. He couldn't try to move from the spot without untying those annoying knots which usually drew Slade's attention in a heart beat. It was like hell.

On the table was an assortment of weapons—mostly small explosives and guns. Slade was checking them to make sure they worked, writing something down between pauses of fixing them. He was probably going to go on a massacre…

How was Robin supposed to stop that?

Good question—what was a little boy going to stop a man like this from killing people? He was absolutely useless, unless—

"What are those for?"

Slade looked up at Robin, still fiddling with the gun as he rebuilt it. "Killing."

"Who?"

"Anything that breathes."

"Like?"

Slade paused, staring at Robin for a long time before putting down the gun and picking up another to inspect it. "Human beings." He said smoothly, having far more patience than Wintergreen.

"Do they have names?"

"Yes."

"Like what?"

"Human names."

"Anyone I know?"

"Maybe."

"Anyone I know personally?"

"No."

"Someone from the news?"

"Yes."

"That you hate?"

"Yes."

"And you're killing them tonight?"

"That's the plan."

"And what is their name?"

"Wouldn't you like to know…"

Wow…this guy was tough. His voice was as cool and collective as ever and talking to Robin didn't seem to bother him as he worked. Obviously he could multitask very well and that meant Robin was failing in his tiny mission. He was hoping to get Slade distracted from his work…but then what? The man would only start again.

Well, anything was better than nothing.

"Why all the questions?" Slade asked, catching on to Robin's little game.

"Because I'm bored." Was the first reasonable answer that came to his mind.

Well…it wasn't so reasonable. This answer stopped Slade in his tracks as he put down the gun and picked up another one slowly…staring at Robin suspiciously with his one eye. "_Bored_?" He asked in utter disbelief. "This is _boring_?"

"Among other things." Robin said honestly. "There's not much to interest you when you've been locked up in a room with two strangers for nearly twenty hours. It's almost night again and I'm not used to sitting around all day."

"One would suppose so…" Slade said aloud to himself. "After all, you are from the circus."

Humph! At least he did something productive in a 'good' way for society.

"No worries, though." Slade continued apathetically. He actually sighed as he worked on the gun. "Once we leave Gotham, you'll be moving around a lot. I'll be teaching you how to fight properly—not the painless kicks and weak bites you give a person. But I must admit you have a strong jaw…" Slade stared briefly at his left hand—the hand Robin chomped down on after Slade put the mask on his face. "Not bad for a six year old."

"Seven." Robin corrected. "And I turn eight soon."

Slade looked up again. "Really? And when were you born?"

"Between seven and eight years ago."

"No more games—when were you born? I can't hold that information against you."

True… "The first day of spring."

"The first day of spring…"

He was actually shocked that the man didn't know that. He seemed to know a lot about Robin, but the more personal things seemed to slip through his fingers. He knew the masked Robin, not the child Richard besides the point where his parents died. Slade even forgot how old he was. Well…Robin did look a lot younger than what he really was. It wasn't his fault he didn't grow as quickly.

Speaking of which, the first day of spring was coming up soon. That was why it was starting to rain outside instead of snowing. The world would be born anew and all life would return again…

Then realization dawned on Robin again. And came and left, the sorrow of his dead parents hitting him harder each time, but now he thought of something new…

This was going to be his first birthday without them.

-A-

Alex: I love the cold weather, don't you?

Victor: (_Soaking wet from head to toe, shivers in the chair next to Alex_.) Holy -_censored-_! That was _cold…_

Alex: (_Smiling in satisfaction._) I feel better now, so don't worry. Anyways—more writing! More writing! I'm doing all that I can this lovely day because I might be leaving to see some other relatives this week. I don't know…Victor, who are we seeing?

Victor: Some great aunt twice removed…or something like that.

Alex: What does it mean to be removed in relations?

Victor: I don't know…does anyone in the audience know? If you do—please care to share.

_Vale, amici,_ (Goodbye, friends,)

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

_And,_

_Victor Van Heiring_

PS: I know people hate cliffies, but they make a writer's world go around. If a cliffy drives you nuts, then a writer knows the crowd will come back. I apologize to all of you who are suffering from heart attacks, seizures, dry coughs, fevers, nausea, or any form of headache from hanging over the edge of the cliff. You know, you could let go at any time…


	32. Chapter eight: Bat out of hell

Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Okay…let's answer some questions—

Wintergreen really does exists and knows Slade; Robin really is born on the first day of spring; I don't know if Robin wore a mask when he was little; Little Robin will meet Robin again; Yes, my intention was to make LR cute, so thank you for all the comments on that; I do have a horrible habit of updating every second I have to spare; you get to see more of Batman; the test to evade capture by Batman really was Robin's final exam to see if he could become a hero (although he had to leave clues for Batman to follow, and ended up capturing a major mobster that same night); and yes I spell some words the Canadian way. As you've probably seen before, sometimes I spell color as 'colour', the way I was taught in school. Sometimes I notice and stop myself, but no—they are not major spelling mistakes.

Oh—and, honest to God, I think Robin suffers from insomnia like I do. I mean, do you really see him sleeping without having a nightmare (Slade thing) and this tiny kid just saw his parents die…poor little guy…

Well…any comments, concerns, questions or unexpected pregnancies?...No? Alright then! Let's get moving—

DISCLAIMER: HA! I wish.

CHAPTER EIGHT: Bat out of hell

As much as he disliked sleeping in the captivity of Slade and Wintergreen, little Robin fell asleep on the couch around five o'clock and woke around three hours later to the sound of the men talking at the table. Thanks to the back of the chair, he could listen without them noticing he was awake, but nothing they spoke of was of any interest to him. They talked of…boring things.

"Eight fifteen. It's time to leave and prepare."

"And the boy?"

"He's coming. I want him to see his last hope die."

Robin shivered mentally to himself. Who exactly were they talking about. One person they wanted to kill, and another one they had something to give to him…but who was the second man—another comrade in their crimes?

Sometimes he thought too much.

A chair screech against the floor and Wintergreen leaned over the back of the chair to shake Robin's shoulder. "Wake up. We're leaving."

"Where?" He asked, pretending he was still sleepy. Now that he thought about it, he was pretty tired. Little kids just couldn't stay awake for long without conking out all of a sudden. With his luck, he'd probably fall asleep on his feet.

"Around." Was the only answer he received as Wintergreen grabbed his arm gently and pulled him up to sit. He tossed Robin a sweater, either meant to keep him warm or hide his black suit. Not many people would pay much attention to him anyway—this was Gotham. Crimes happened all the time and no one would give a care if he screamed that he was being kidnapped.

He slipped it on and stood with a small yawn. It was a little loose on him, but it hid the awful suit he had to wear.

Messy haired, he tried to fix it as Wintergreen led him to the table where he sat down across from Slade. Slade was loading up a gun, ignoring Robin entirely as the boy eyed him in a weighing manner. This was a man who adopted a small acrobat, claiming he was from the future, having only one good eye, loading a gun to go out and kill someone.

How bizarre.

"Take him to the car." Slade said to the other man. "I'll be with you in a moment."

Robin didn't have to be told. He stood behind Wintergreen and watched as the man lifted the bolt and slowly opened the door. Now would be an opportune time to make a break for it if—

Wintergreen's hand caught Robin's and held on in a fairly strong grip. There was no way Robin was going to free himself with everyone cautious about himself. He had to stay quiet and wait until they both ignored him more…

As they stepped out into the hallway, Wintergreen showed Robin a roll of duck tape he had in his other hand. Robin stared at it in curiousity as they started off toward the elevator.

"If I hear a peep out of you, I'll tape your mouth shut. And believe me when I say it hurts a lot to take it back off."

Well, seeing that he wanted to let them relax around him to make his real escape, he nodded without a worried and stepped inside the elevator as the doors opened for them. Luckily, no one was around to comment on the way down, and no one but the owner was in the lobby. They left without anyone taking noticed and Robin began to worry. You know…if someone saw him on the news and then recognized him, maybe then they would try to stop Wintergreen or call the police…Any form of escape was nice as long as he got away before Slade could _train_ him.

The car was a slightly older model, black and nothing special. One thing Robin knew it didn't have was a child lock on the back doors, but that, in the end, didn't matter. The moment he sat in the back left seat and buckled up, Wintergreen sat beside him and held up the duck tape.

"But I was quiet!" Robin protested.

"It's not for your mouth yet." Wintergreen explained and nodded at Robin's hands. "Hold your hands flat together at the palms like you're praying—and don't give me that look. Did you honestly think we weren't going to tie you up?"

No…he was just hoping they would avoid it until he thought up of a plan.

Obeying, he watched sourly as Wintergreen tapped his small hands together tightly. This way he couldn't open the door or unbuckle his seatbelt, stuck in the back until someone let him out. Then Wintergreen climbed out, slammed the door shut, and climbed into the front seat just as Slade came outside in his coat and hat disguise to sit in the back with Robin. The boy was honestly hoping that the man would sit up front, but he wasn't taking any chances.

"What?" Slade asked, laughing at the glare Robin gave him.

"I hate you…" He muttered and focused on the window.

"Then let's see _how much_ you hate me…"

Robin turned back toward the man and watched as he pulled his gun out from the inside of his coat. At first he thought the man was going to shoot him, but Slade had no reason to. No. Instead he tossed it onto Robin's lap and that startled the boy.

"Shoot me." Slade said, mocking him. Robin really did want to kill the man, but, first off, he didn't know how to use a gun and, secondly, he couldn't even grab the gun with his hands taped together.

"Get a life." Robin snapped and pushed the gun off his lap onto the ground. Slade leaned forward and picked it up—catching Robin's foot with his other hand when the boy tried to kick him in the head.

"Nice try." Slade tightened his grip, hurting his foot. "But there's a thing or two I have to teach you before you get any free shots." Then he released his foot and hid the gun again in his jacket.

"And who are you going to shoot with that?"

There was that smile Robin could imagine behind Slade's mask as he answered. "Batman."

-B-

"Yes?" He answered, speaking to the communicator built into the batmobile. "What is it Alfred?"

"Something strange, sir. There is…a type of oil attacking people down town. The newscasters call it a shadow beast."

"An experiment gone wrong…" Batman muttered. "That's what it is all the time—but I'm on my way, Alfred. Just give me the coordinates."

"A moment, sir…"

One the small GPS system built into the dashboard a blinking red dot popped up on the screen. The batmobile turned to autopilot and started on the shortest distance toward the supposed monster…

Finding the creature was easier than it sounded. Once he saw people running madly the opposite way he was driving, he jumped out of his car and started down the road toward a man standing in the middle of the street. He was laughing like a madman, hands stretched up toward the sky until Batman spoke.

"And who exactly are you supposed to be?" Batman asked, a batarang ready in each hand.

The man wore an old trench coat, a wide-brimmed hat on his head. As he lowered his hands, he turned around slowly to reveal a body covered entirely in bandage wrapping, not an inch of flesh in site. You could see blood stains through the bandage on his chest and the smell of ointment was evident even to Batman who stood a good distance away from him. His glowing red eyes fixed on Batman and sent shivers along his spin, his voice even crazier than his laugh.

"Good evening, Constable. Something the matter?"

"Do you need to ask?"

"I just did."

"Then look around you."

The man paused and slowly looked up and down the street. There was no damage done, which was new, but it was deserted. "Oh—am I past the curfew?" He replied sarcastically. "I never was one to sleep so early in the night."

Batman shook his head. They were all the same.

Throwing his two batarangs at the man, he took out another two incase the man moved aside. But…the man didn't. Instead, two lines of bandage ribbon shot down from the top of two buildings and stuck to the ground—stopping the two projectiles as though the material was made of metal. This surprised batman, even more so when the man reached into his jacket and held out another roll of white ribbon. Holding onto one end, he threw the bandage toward the Dark Knight and caught him before he could move away. It wrapped around his chest, pinning his arms to his side as he tried to step back away from the man. Now it acted as a lasso, tightening as the man braced and tried to pull Batman forward.

"Don't be a pest." The maniac asked oddly. "Be a gentleman and just relax. I'm not gonna kill you."

"And why…uh…would I believe a criminal?" He asked, straining to keep his balance against the man. The strange man was very thin but quite strong. "What are you doing here…uh…anyway…"

Batman started to pull back now and the man was starting to slide. He almost fell at one point but kept his balance. "I'm trying to…uh…save your life."

"From…who?"

"…Slade."

His mistake. Batman paused and suddenly slipped forward, cutting the distance between him and the man in half. "Slade—you know where he is?"

"No…" The man answered honestly, finally letting go of the ribbon. Batman almost fell back from this but the bandage unraveled from his body and gathered at his feet. "But he's going to kill you if you two ever meet—and I can't let that happen. Richard's life is depending on you."

Richard…that was the Graysons' kid, the poor boy who was kidnapped the same night his parents died.

"I have to find that kid." Batman stated and stepped to the side of the bandage, worried it would come to life and tie him up. "Tell me everything you know."

"Find Slade and you find the kid—but you won't have to do much looking. Slade's the one looking for you."

"And how do I catch this guy?"

The man's eyes glowed mischievously as he crossed his arms. "You'll see…"

-S-

The ride was short, but it felt longer than it should have been. The boy wouldn't do so much as look at him, still angry about the gun trick Slade pulled on him. One day he would learn; one day the child would resort to using a gun. Even if Robin had his hands untapped, Slade doubted he would gather the nerves to shoot him. It was innocence that held you back from doing the impossible, but once that was destroyed and you killed for the first time….let's just say it gets easier from then on out.

Robin had the side of his head leaning against the door window, his head nodding then and again as he fought to stay awake. Eight o'clock was late when you were a child, but Slade needed him to be awake when he killed the Dark Knight. He needed Robin to give in.

"Stay awake." Slade ordered, and the boy was startled from his half-slumber. Rubbing an eye with his taped up hands, he shot the man a quick glare before staring out the window and frowning.

"Where are we?" Was the initial question, and Slade started wondering too when people starting running past the car in the opposite direction.

"What is it?" Slade called to Wintergreen, leaning forward to stare around the front passenger seat. Too many people were blocking the road and it was slowly traffic. Some people had even abandoned their vehicles and that created terrible traffic.

Wintergreen muttered a curse (low enough to keep from Robin's ears though) and stared back toward Slade. "Some freak trying to make a show I suppose. We'll have to get out and walk from here."

Despite the crowd, it was good that there was another villain at work tonight. That meant batman would come and it would make Slade's job a lot easier. The sooner this was done the better, and then Wintergreen could take Robin to meet _Him_.

Unbuckling Robin from his seat, he opened his door, grabbed Robin by his arm, and pulled the child after him into the street. Wintergreen abandoned the front seat and neither man bothered to lock the doors. It was s stolen car anyway.

The throng of people thinned quickly as they marched in the opposite direction of the flow. Robin was short and hidden well by the cars, no one taking notice of his tapped up hands. It didn't take long until they saw someone up ahead, faint laughter heard from the figure standing in the center of a cleared intersection. The man paused when a second figure came into view—Batman.

Wintergreen, a rifle in hand from the one he hid in the front of the car with him, started toward one end of the street and entered one of the alleyways. From there he would climb the fire escape to the roof and prepare to shoot the Dark knight down if something went wrong.

Still holding Robin's arm roughly just above the elbow, he took him toward the other end of the street where they stood in the mouth of another alleyway. From here Slade could see the action, but no one would see him unless they started down the alleyway.

"You can't kill him."

Slade looked behind him at the child. "And why can't I?" He asked plainly, not quite understanding the child's logic. Children always said the oddest things.

"He's met others like you before." The child explained with a furious look. The idea of killing wasn't quite appealing to the boy. "What makes you think you'll win?"

"Boy, I kill for a living. And if things fall behind schedule, Wintergreen will shoot him down from the roof across the street. Do you see him?..."

He pointed and the child squinted in the growing darkness and he frowned again. "And what if he's noticed? Batman's had guns pulled on him before."

Slade laughed. Children really were adorable when they tried to win. "Robin, Wintergreen and I have been in the army for many years before I became a mercenary. And what are you going to do about it anyway? I can't see you using your hands any time soon."

Robin snarled and stared at his bound-up hands. He would try something again later, no doubt about it. It was a part of his nature, and that was a good thing if used to Slade's advantage.

Staring around the corner again, he saw the Dark Knight caught in…what looked to be bandage ribbon. The other man—who Slade now recognized to be Jaze—was reeling him in, no doubt trying to save him from Slade. He should have known the doctor followed too. After all, his brilliant mind invented the time watches.

-LR-

_The world was made of dust and ash_

_The start of all that lives_

_To rise from earth and fall again_

_To take and then to give_

_Those who take and turn away_

_Shall sleep like all their dead_

_The bats of hell will rise from flames_

_And curses they will spread_

_So never stray away from truth_

_And give when you receive_

_The bats will never come for you_

_And you will live in peace._

It was the oddest poem he ever heard, but Ella said her grandmother used to say it over and over again whenever she misbehaved. Some how it reminded him of Batman—thieves took goods, rapists took innocence, and murders took lives—things they could never return to the world. That was why they had to pay, and their bat out of hell was none other than the Dark Knight. He was just as ominous when you looked at him from a distance, but his heart was in the right place. If anyone could help Robin, it was him.

And he'd be damned if Slade killed him.

While the man peered around the corner of the building toward the intersection, he began fiddling with his belt, pulling out a few small explosives. Meanwhile, Robin brought the duck tape up to his mouth and started nibbling away at the edges, attempting to work as quickly as he could without getting caught. It wasn't that hard—he grew up in the circus which was full of escape artists. It was the fact that Slade was watching him inside the car before that stopped him from making an easy escape.

The man looked as though he was about to start out toward the street before he spared a glance over his shoulder at the boy. What a surprise he must have gotten when he saw the duck tape at Robin's feet.

"You little pest…" Slade hissed and reached out to grab Robin. Growing up as an acrobat, Robin had quick reflexes and ducked under his arm, slipping past him toward the street. He made it out onto the sidewalk just when Slade caught him by the hair on the back of his head. Jerking him back and holding him up so that his feet were almost off the ground, Slade successfully ruined Robin's small escape plan.

But it really wasn't an escape plan in the first place.

Both the odd man and Batman dropped their current conversation and stared toward the two new guests. Robin yelped quietly from the pain of Slade pulling on his short hair, but at least he completed his little mission. Now at least Batman knew both Richard and Slade were there.

-J-

Jaze tipped the front of his hat back a bit with his hand and whistled. "Well, look at what we have here. Thanks for making this easier on us, Slade. How kind of you to return the boy."

"What a surprise to see you, John." Slade snapped back, apparently in a bad mood. He pulled harder on Robin's hair and jerked his head back further. "And _this_ is mine. You know what they say—finders, _keepers_."

"Well, we found you and now it's our turn. I think there's still room in Arkham..."

"You're more than welcome to try…"

Jaze grinned behind his usual disguise. "Thanks—I think I'll take you up on that offer."

Secretly, in a small communicator in his ear, Jaze listened to Robin on the other end.

"_We're set, Jaze. You ready?"_

A grin.

"More than you know."

-A-

Alex: How many people guessed by now that I wasn't going to forget about the rest of the Titans?

Victor: Tell us something new.

Alex: And how many people figure out that -A- stood for Alex and not author?

Victor: …O.o? Are you just talking random?

Alex: Yes, I am.

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

_And_

_Victor Van Heiring_


	33. Chapter nine: Man down

Again 

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Wow, you guys really think long and hard about what you read. I'm impressed…Anyways…how many of you think my story is nearly over? Raise your hand…(_Counting…_) Well, you'll probably tell me later on that you didn't, but your last reviews suggest that I'm going to let Batman win, Little Robin will be saved by the Titans, Slade will run again or finally find his cell in jail—the list goes on, but, if you really knew what type of person I am, you'd already know that I just love Angsts and Action—Now honestly tell me if Id go against my style to make this happy-go-lucky?...

In short—have no worries, loyal readers, for our hero Robin is far from the true nightmare. I aim to make him suffer until I squeeze every last drop of sanity from that small broken body of his.

Also—I know it seems like time travel messes up a ton of things, but I actually talked to a couple of the professors at the University of Alberta here in Edmonton and they explained all the little theories of time (I have relatives who go to the U of A, so don't go thinking I'm a nerd…or a whole nerd at least). I know some things might not seem to work, but I'll be explaining it along the way. Have no worries.

And along with the questions, some of you don't know how close…but how wrong you are in your predictions. I'm loving this, so keep it coming…

The question I want you to think about for now is: _Who is Him (He), and why are Wintergreen and Slade looking for him?_

I'll give the passing grade to whoever guesses right.

DISCLAIMER: Whoa—someone would have to be intoxicated to think I own them.

CHAPTER NINE: Man down

Beast Boy stared out the window, standing beside Starfire and Robin in the building across the street. Third floor, building on the corner, they had a perfect view of Jaze and the younger Batman—Slade and the younger Robin coming into view.

Beast Boy took another look through the binoculars and his eyes widened as they focused on little Robin. Sheesh, to think such a hard guy was an ity-bity, cute boy when he was a child. If the team thought he was short now…wow…he was so small. A lot of children were small when they were young, but when you thought about the three hundred IQ, beat-the-tar-out-of-ya, Teen Titans leader Robin…wow…

Starfire snatched the binoculars from Beast Boy's hands suddenly and leaned so close to the window the lenses bumped into the glass. "Robin, you were so _adorable_! Why did you refrain from showing us any of your past pictures?"

Glancing over his shoulder, Beast Boy snickered at Robin. Their fearless leader was leaning against the wall near the door, arms crossed, a frown set in his face and a blush growing on his usually pale cheeks. His eyes narrowed when he saw Beast Boy was staring him and the changeling hid his smile instantly…until he broke out laughing.

"I love earth children…" Starfire whispered, all giddy at seeing Robin's younger self. "I want to meet you! I already know you, but I wish to meet your younger self. You are _sooooooo_ cute…"

Beast Boy slipped back to his leader and nudged him gently in the side as Robin's face reddened in embarrassment. "Hear that, Robin…" He mocked, grinning devishly at this chance to make fun of him. "Starfire thinks you're _cute_…"

"Shut…up…Beast Boy…" Robin managed to say through gritted teeth. Then his entire figure relaxed and he stood straight, regaining his leader air. Beast Boy would have fallen silent at that, but he had to snicker behind his hand. Robin's face was still red.

Picking up his communicator and turned it on. "We're set, Jaze. You ready?"

"_More than you know_._"_

Robin's face was back to its usual pale state and he called up Raven and Cyborg. "Ready to ambush him?"

"_You better believe it, man. I'm aching to—hey—Raven, let go! I'm not done—"_

"_Hello, Robin?"_

Beast Boy, Starfire and Robin stared at each other in confusion before he replied. "Um…yeah. Robin here. Is there something wrong?"

"_Yes…something just doesn't fit…"_

He sighed. "I know what you mean. It's about what Jaze said, isn't it?"

"_Yes, about two people going through. So far, all I see is Slade…"_

"It could have been a glitch on Jaze's watch, but I believe that too. Keep your eyes and ears open when we attack. As soon as we get Batman and…_Richard_ out of the way, we can split up and look for the second person. It's probably one of Slade's allies…"

"Slade doesn't have allies." Beast Boy cut in. "He's the 'friends-are-nothing' guy."

"Doesn't mean he doesn't have acquaintances. You know—you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours?"

"_Yes, Beast Boy. There are some things even Slade can't do on his own."_

The changeling stuck his tongue out at the communicator, but said nothing more. Instead, he transformed into a crow and perched upon the windowsill, waiting for it to be opened. Robin replaced the communicator at his belt and took out his jumpcord (Alex: HA! I found out that it _isn't _called a grappling hook, but a jumpcord! You guys can use that word in your stories too, because it's from the comics) just as Starfire warmed up her powers by levitating. Eyes starting to glow a pale green, see waited with Beast Boy by the window and stared down at the scene below. They would ambush Slade (across the street) the moment Jaze gave the signal…

-S-

There was an old saying he learned in his younger years that had been proven wise every single day of his life. "It doesn't matter what you get—it's what you're able to _keep_ that matters". How true. Slade had Robin once as an apprentice, and what a grand thing it would have been had he been able to _keep_ Robin, but by losing him he was back to where he started. Now that he had Robin again, there was no way in the deepest pit of hell he was going to let him go. This kid was going to stand with him to the bitter end of his days.

Staring at Jaze he had to smile behind his mask. Life seemed to go downwards for the good doctor. One moment he was imprisoned, the next he was advanced and insane, after that he lost his child, and in the end he was a goodie-goodie like the Teen Titans. Hey—life was backwards when you looked at it from an awkward perspective. And, seeing that Jaze was truly insane, it wasn't much of a surprise to Slade that the maniac would still want to protect the boy he once tried to adopt himself. His approach to the matter wasn't half that bad, but by going soft on the boy he lost his control over him like Slade had.

Well, he wasn't going to let history repeat itself now.

Out of the uppermost corner of his eye, Slade could see the top of the next building. Wintergreen was up there and, despite hi age, the man was probably already to shoot Batman down. He had an ace shot and he could hold still for hours on end. There was no doubt that a murder would show up on tomorrow's news, compliments of Slade or Wintergreen.

"You want him, gentlemen?" Slade asked in his usual baleful voice. He referred to the boy and it was evident the men understood perfectly. Each was edgy to grab a weapon as they looked down at the boy and then up at Slade who still had a good grip on him. "If you want him that badly, _then come and get him_…"

"NO!" Robin yelled. "It's—"

Slade covered the boy's mouth with his free hand, jerking him back further with the handful of hair. "It's a pity you won't win though. I think Boy Wonder here was rooting for you."

"You bastard.." He heard the Dark Knight growl. "How dare you take a child only to ruin his life. Who gave you the power to play God?"

"I believe you did, _hero_. I pick the time, the place, the problem—and all you can do is wait and see what I have planned. You're just a pawn in the game, while I'm not even on the board. I'm the hand that moves both sides, so either way I win"

He grinned and Slade couldn't help but frown. "Then either way, you also lose…"

Slade hated that word—it was the lowest form of insult thrown at a person. To be called a failure was something Slade wasn't used to and he wasn't ready to fit into it yet either. He'd rather rot alive on No-Man's Land than let someone call him a failure.

"If I'm losing…" Slade called back, no trace of the true fury he felt evident in his cool voice. "…why is Robin still in my possession?"

Masked white eyes narrowed as the Dark Knight took up a batarang in each hand. He was ready to use them, Jaze's red eyes aglow as the shadows around him began to waver and slither along the ground around him like venomous snakes.

Something caught his attention.

Without looking up, Slade used his peripheral vision to watch the building across the street horizontally from where he stood. Behind Jaze and Batman, something moved in a window three flights up—and then there was a faint green glow.

So that's where the Titans were. He was beginning to wonder if he wouldn't have the time to say goodbye before history permanently rewrote itself. All it needed was an event large enough to change it and something to make sure the cycle continued, and then Robin's past would take a drastic turn for the better.

"Look at all the trouble you've caused now, Robin." Slade whispered to the small boy. "To think, someone is going to die tonight all because of you…"

"No…" The child moaned behind his hand. He had something else to say but the words were muffled and besides—what did it matter?

Slade removed the hand from the child's mouth, still grasping his hair in his other hand, and slid it to his belt just as the Dark Knight's batarangs took flight. Jaze raised both hands, palms facing Slade, as the never ending supply of bandages unraveled from his arms and chased after Batman's weapons. But their effort was in vain. The syringe was out and the needle in the boy shoulder before either could reach him.

The moment the boy yelped in pain and surprise, Slade released his grip on his hair and dodged to the side as the assault came. The younger Robin ducked under the batarangs just in time and the bandages fell slack before they could reach him either, falling to his knees as the fast-attacking serum took action. A few seconds more and he fell to his side, limp and asleep. The serum wouldn't last long; just enough to let Slade finish off Jaze and the other Titans before he killed Gotham's caped crusader.

"Please…" Slade laughed; hands behind his back as he strode back over to Robin and stood behind the unconscious figure. "You'll have to try harder if you want him back that badly…"

-R-

"Ready?"

"Set."

"Titans! GO!"

The two windows burst opened in an instant, Starfire and Beast Boy flying out so Robin could take aim with his jumpcord(/grappling hook). Even before the end was secured, Robin took flight and leapt out toward the street below, aiming for Slade. He landed not five feet away and whipped out his bo-staff just as Slade swung his own. There was the harsh clang of metal and an eerie scraping sound as the two collided and pressed one against the other. Locked together, each fighter sought to force the other back.

Leaning forward, they were eye to eye and alone as the others watched. No one would dare attack with young Richard by Slade's feet and Robin so close locked in battle. But the moment the two older fighters moved away from the child, the rest of the Titans and Jaze were allowed to open fire regardless of where Robin was. But there was no doubt they would hold back anyway.

"Tell me, Robin. Did you escape from prison or were you released?"

Robin was a little surprised at the question, but answered all the same as he strained to push Slade further back. "Released."

"And how did you like being caught and thrown into a jail cell. Was it wonderful?"

He growled. "Doesn't matter, because I'm never going back."

"If you commit crimes, you might get caught once or twice."

"And why would I—" Then he saw Slade's eye shoot down at the boy they leaned over. The small syringe was still stuck in Richard's arm, the child out-cold from the serum. Everything Robin knew could be saved or destroyed depending on what happened to his younger self. And to think of how close he was to losing…

So close…

"Smaller—but not stupid!" Robin said as he fell back. His right knee came up toward his chest as he planted his foot firmly on Slade's gut and pushed as he hit the ground. Done directly on time, Slade went flying but collected himself in mid-air and landed professionally only a few feet away. Bo-staff still in had, he raised it before him to run and strike Robin down as he stood, but a ribbon of bandage shot out from Jaze's sleeve and wrapped around its end. With a good pull, Jaze successful took it from Slade's firm grip and reached up into the air to grab it as the bo-staff came flying in his direction.

"Neat little weapon here, Slade." Jaze commented, looking the long thin staff over in his hands. "And you know what they say—finders, _keepers_."

Robin grinned to himself and watched as Starfire came in for her own attack, hands aglow as she soared down toward the enemy. Raven came soaring down from a second roof and landed on the ground not too far away from the criminal. Hands and eyes aglow like Starfire, she summed her powers and a like black beam of her magic shot out to greet the unarmed Slade. Robin was sure the man had quite a few tricks up his sleeve, but for once…it was someone else's job to stop him.

Kneeling beside his younger self, Robin flipped the boy from his side onto his back and took the needle from his shoulder. Throwing it aside, he looked into the child's pale face and frowned miserably. This wasn't supposed to happen…this wasn't supposed to happen at all.

"Come on, kid." He asked quietly, hoping for some strange reason that the dosage wouldn't keep him unconscious for too long. "Wake up."

There was no reply and so Robin sighed. Beast Boy and Cyborg had joined in on the battle behind him and Jaze was off somewhere else. Batman was running toward Robin and Richard, and unreadable look on the half of his face you could see. No doubt he was angry. He was always angry when someone was in danger, and there was no doubt he'd question Robin as to how he knew Slade and how he himself had gotten out of jail.

"Watch out!" Jaze called from above and Robin looked up. All the time he had been manipulating his shadows to attack the quick Slade who would throw explosives at the Titans ever so often. Apparently, Jaze had spotted something interesting from his place up in the sky.

Robin's eyes followed to where Jaze was looking and he saw what was the problem.

Too bad he looked too late…

-W-

He was kneeling by the ledge of the roof, rifle ready when he saw the fight broke out. Robin came head-to-head with Slade and successful separated the villain and the boy. Then the other's came and Wintergreen waited. Normally it would be an unfair match with so many against Slade, but Wintergreen knew this was all part of the plan. There were a few last minute changes in the plan after they decided to kill Batman…

Fixing his aim, he waited until Boy Wonder knelt beside the boy tried to wake him. The dark Knight was running closer and Jaze had suddenly risen into the air, stopping just high enough to stay eye level with Wintergreen. The old man was supposed to wait for the signal, but Slade told him to open fire anyway if he was caught.

Better to die with success than to live with failure.

Squeezing the trigger, Wintergreen noticed Robin look his way before he took the shot. True to his aim, Wintergreen hit his target…

Robin began to bleed.

-A-

Alex: How's that for a twist?

Robin: Awful.

Victor: Splendid.

Little Robin: I think it sucks.

Wintergreen: Watch your language.

Victor: One too many people in the room…But did you really kill Robin?

Alex: You'll have to wait and read the next chapter. Batman's still on the list, but where do you think I shot Robin?

Robin: Jeez, the heart.

Victor: Please be the head.

Little Robin: The Liver!

Alex: O.o?...Okay. Since when did you have sugar?

Wintergreen: …I can't tell you what I think the shot was because I _know_ where the shot was.

Victor: Fine. Stay tuned and we'll find out in a couple of days or so.

_Kudos,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

_And,_

_Victor Van Heiring_


	34. Chapter ten: Utter mayhem

Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Alex: Wow…I mean it—wow, you guys. Within the first four hours I updated the last chapter, I received a total of twelve…that is so far more record! Because of that, I'm giving you guys a treat and I'm going to make this extra long—and I'm glad you guys all thought the last cliffhanger was the best. I hope I don't disappoint any of you now that I have your un-dying attention…if I even do…That really made my day.

Victor: Yeah, and it was late in the night at school for the small Drama fest. It was so hilarious. We were stuck up in the techy booth attached to the ceiling a hundred feet up and all we had was a black light to see the controls for the light and sound. Smart-boy here who a white shirt and was glowing like crazy. At the end of the show everyone was laughing as the director tried to throw cottenballs up at us for irritating some of the actors. Good times…

Alex: Well—THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! Now, for your treat—

DISCLAIMER: (and, no—this is not the treat) don't own 'em—just know 'em.

CHAPTER TEN: Utter mayhem

The boy cried out and, already kneeling, bent forward with his arms tucked up against his chest. He leaned over the child, blood dripping onto the small figure as the older boy moaned and tried to stop the flow.

Batman, instinct kicking in, slid to a halt and looked up from where the shot came. Batarangs flying, the gun was knocked aside by one while the man had to fall back to avoid the second. Batman would have done but he had to see to the strange teenager.

Stopping beside him, Batman fell to his knees and placed a hand on his back. At the touch of his hand, the youth sat upright, still cradling the shot arm. It could have been blow off, but instead he was left with a huge bloody hole that was leaking like hell.

He had no idea why the kid wasn't screaming.

"Go!" The boy shouted as Batman tore a long piece of cloth from Richard's large sweater. "Take the kid and leave!" The teen then hollered and bit back another cry of agony as he moved his arm. This kid had to have been crazy! He was going to die if—

"I know how to do this myself…" Continued the boy in a gentle voice. It was so calm and smooth, if heard on the phone it would have sounded like nothing was wrong. "I've been shot before." And with that he took the cloth from Batman's hands. "You've got to get away with the boy first."

True, but—

"Cyborg!" The teenager called and the mechanical boy halted in his assault against the one known as Slade. For being outnumbered, the guy sure knew how to fight.

"We're coming. Robin!" The hero replied, running aside as an explosive was thrown his way and erupted when it hit the ground near his feet. Luckily for him he had nimble feet and the explosions were pretty small. "Just give us a second!"

"This is nonsense." Batman said seriously, reaching to help the boy with the cloth as he wrapped it around his arm. "If you'd only let me help you then—"

"You'll die. The gunman isn't aiming for me—he wants you to hold still while he shoots—NOW GO!"

Now what?

-J-

He was there—eye level with the bastard that shot Robin down. He could kill him if he wanted, but if he did he would have to break the mental connection with Robin and that could kill him. As long as he was in his head he could slow the blood flow and ease the pain. That was probably the only reason Robin was still awake from shot to yell his head off at the Dark Knight. They seemed to be arguing—and about what! Was this the time to argue!

His eyes darted to the ground and he saw Batman flee with the younger Robin in his arms. Cyborg had finally found a break as the remaining three Titans battled Slade, and ran to Robin's aid. An ambulance was in call for now…

There was the man—Wintergreen, if Jaze remembered. He recalled seeing a few of Slade's memories concerning the man. Turns out, Wintergreen owed the man something for saving his life when he was captured, and the two were military men anyway. They could shoot a person without having to debate for an hour whether it was right or wrong to kill.

Wintergreen wouldn't shoot the Dark Knight and Jaze wondered why. Possibly because he was holding the boy, but if Wintergreen was an ace shot, maybe he could figure something out.

No—instead he was taking aim at Jaze.

"It won't work." Jaze yelled at the man and Wintergreen moved his eye from the site (Alex: I can't remember what it's called, but that was the first thing that came to mind. Sorry—). "I can phase right through it."

"Or really?" Wintergreen called back, taking aim once more. "I'd like to challenge that."

"And you know that if you fail, I will kill you."

Jaze was straining just to talk and he wouldn't even risk levitating back down to the ground in case he'd lose his connection with Robin. Hopefully the man wouldn't call his bluff. Hopefully…

"You've just got to smile death in the face." Was the reply and Jaze knew the man was going to shot. If he did, Robin was as good as dead too. "But you're up to something, aren't you? If you could kill me—then why don't you? What if I decided to really kill Boy Wonder?..."

Jaze's glowing eyes widened as Wintergreen took aim—this time at Robin. "Don't!" He hollered, cursing himself for being played like a fool. Wintergreen wasn't dumb. He'd seen war and lived to tell its awful tale. "Don't…"

"Keeping him alive, I see. Slade told me a lot about you and I know what you can and cannot do. He was in your mind too, remember?"

That was right. When Jaze had attempted in figuring Slade out, his plan backfired and the connection became a two-way walk between both minds. Jaze saw what Slade knew and Slade saw what he knew. A fair and unfair exchange.

Then Wintergreen began to laugh and straightened as he lowered his rifle. "Maybe another day, but I have to grab the kid and kill the Bat. Remember that you owe me."

"Wait!" He couldn't just let him go! This was going all terribly wrong. "Stop!"

Wintergreen ignored him and made his way to the other side of the roof where he climbed down the fire-escape and disappeared from sight.

What a web this was.

-LR-

Waking up became an unpleasant event for him. Either he woke up in a new place with someone who had bad intentions for him, or he woke with a splitting headache from some drug used to knock him out. As he opened his eyes this time, a headache came and he had no idea where he was. Add someone he hated and then he'd call this routine.

He was in someone's arms, that was for sure, and he could tell they were moving. Before he could see clearly he felt himself being lowered into what seemed to be a chair, a comfortable chair that could have belonged to a vehicle.

Hey—it was.

Blinking his eyes a couple of times to see properly, he suddenly shot up and tried to stand. A hand pressed down on his left shoulder and he was gently seated back down by a new person…The Dark Knight.

"Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you." The man said, his voice steady and serious, but not as frightening as Slade's. "Just relax."

Robin took the deepest breath he had in a long time and sighed heavily before he replied. "I can't—you have to leave."

This confused the hero and Robin couldn't blame him. It wasn't in his job description to just leave a victim all on their lonesome so they could flee. "…Would you care to explain why?" He asked rather politely.

"Becausesladehaswintergreenandheisgoingtoshootyouifheseesyouand—"

"Whoa." The Dark Knight raised a hand for silence and suddenly there was too much of it in the dark alley the bat mobile was parked in—that was where Robin was. He was in his car, the door still lifted so Batman could talk to him. "Take a breath and try that again."

Heart racing, Robin tried to say it slower. "Slade came to make sure you died, and he and a man named Wintergreen are trying to shoot you down tonight. Wintergreen was on a roof…but I don't know where that is because I don't even know where I am now. He has a—"

"I know."

Well…he was quick. What exactly happened while he was unconscious?

"And I'm going back there to help out the others fighting Slade."

Others?

"You are to stay here." He ordered; kinder than how Slade would have said it. "You'll be safe in here, and no one can get to you unless you open the door for them. That's why you're not going to open it unless the police come or if I return."

Robin blinked…He really missed a lot.

The door was closing, but he tried to say something else. "But who are they others?"

"Don't know, but I'm going to find out."

And then he was shut up inside the vehicle. He watched the Dark Knight start off at a sprint down the alleyway and waited alone in the darkness of the night. He didn't like being alone, and he couldn't help but wonder what a man like _him_ could do to stop a man like_ Slade_. Sure he was a hero and all, but didn't Slade come from the future or something like that? Wouldn't he know how to defeat the Dark Knight?

He reached to open the door but stopped himself with his hand extended out. He was told to stay here and leave the door closed unless the police or Batman returned. But…he had to tell him…

Somehow he felt as though he owed it to the world. Just sitting back and letting everything pass him by…Maybe Slade was right. Maybe because of him, someone would die tonight—

—but maybe because of him, someone could also _live_ tonight. Batman didn't know what Robin knew and that's why he had to stop him.

His hand gripped the door and he tried it, failing miserably when he discovered it was locked. It wasn't like normal cars with a little pin to pull up or a button to press. I had to be somewhere on the dash board…but that was loaded with things he didn't want to try.

Wow—life wasn't going to give him a moment's grace, was it?

-BB-

Jeez—and it was three against one. Cyborg had left a short while ago when they heard the gunshot. Apparently Robin was shot, but Cyborg took him somewhere safe. Sirens could be heard in the distance and that meant the police and—hopefully—and ambulance. Their battle would have to end soon before a non-hero being got injured.

Not that the Teen Titans would let that happen.

In the form of a Tiger, Beast Boy watched as Starfire was thrown back from one of Slade's brutal swings. That guy had a punch like no one Beast Boy had seen before—it was amazing, even if he was a villain.

The moment Starfire hit the ground and tumbled away, BB pounced with a miserable roar. He didn't know what kept him going, but his adrenaline was running on low and he had enough bruises to last him a year. He wouldn't be able to walk straight for a month—and that was if he was lucky. That, or he'd rent a wheelchair.

Slade twisted around just as Beast Boy came into view. Then he raised his one hands and pressed them against BB's chest, falling onto his back as he lifted a leg and planted a firm foot on Beast Boy's gut. BB should have seen it coming—Robin only did it to Slade a short while ago.

Caught in surprise, Beast Boy transformed back into his normal self the moment his body was in the air. Flying upside down and backward, he collided with Raven and knocked her down with her, lying in a heap as he tried to regain his vision. He could make out a blurry Starfire bringing down an assault of starbolts on the enemy as Raven pushed him off her, and they stood together rather off balance.

"Sorry, Rae." He muttered in embarrassment. "I should've seen that coming."

"No time!" She yelled and ducked. Beast Boy, confusion getting the better of him, turned around to be knocked clear off his feet by Starfire when Slade sent her flying to join them. The two of them soared over Raven and hit the far brick wall, leaving a large crack in their midst.

They weren't doing as well as they should have been.

"Azarath, metrion, _zin_—_ugh_!"

Beast Boy rubbed his head, watching as Raven caught an upper cut in the jaw. She stumbled backward with her eyes closed, and was knocked again in the head by another punch, finished off by a clean round-house kick to her ribs. Defeated, she fell to the ground and moaned as she tried to collect herself.

That settled the bet BB made with Cyborg—Slade wasn't human.

"Pathetic…" Slade muttered in disappointment. "I had expected better out of you, seeing that Robin was your leader. It's almost an insult to call you his team."

"Well, we don't look to be the best." Beast Boy snapped; standing and brushing himself off as Starfire stood dizzily beside him. "Ya win some—ya lose some. You've just got to try harder."

"Try? No—either you _do_ or you _don't_."

Wow—this guy had enough words of bad wisdom to put Satan to shame. He always had some type of comeback that shut a person up completely.

"You must have had one heck of a troubled history…" –But he said that low enough so that Slade didn't hear what he said.

Slade, however, was already ignoring him. He was staring at the pool of blood where Robin and his younger self should have been. Now that Beast Boy thought about it, Batman was gone too. Maybe he played it smart and hid the boy. There was no doubt that he would be back, but at least little Richard Grayson was okay…he hoped.

"Looks like my visit will have to be cut short." Slade said aloud to the three recovering Titans. Raven was still pretty dazed. "But I look forward to meeting you again when you're ready for a challenge."

Why that—

It was too late for last minute attacks or quirky remarks. A smoke bomb was taken form Slade's belt as he tossed it to the ground. Beast Boy transformed the moment the smoke erupted and the villain fled, no doubt in search of the Richard and the Bat.

Too bad Slade didn't notice the tiny spider clinging to the back of his suit for dear life.

-R-

He heard voices around him and was almost blinded by the lights in his eyes. Someone touched him and he flinched away. At least, he tried to flinch away. He was strapped down to a stretcher, being rolled into an ambulance. He could here Cyborg and Jaze arguing with someone just outside his site.

"Clam down. You—"

He didn't care. Panicking about the outcome of the battle and the well-being of his old mentor, Robin fought against the straps and was getting closer to sitting up as he strained against them. More people came around the restrain him, along with a cop or two. But it wasn't until Cyborg pushed them aside and stood next to him that he finally calmed.

"It's okay, man. Just relax. You're on your way to the hospital as soon as you let them wheel you into the van."

He opened his mouth to ask about the others but "Dr. Manning" read his mind before he could speak.

"They're alive and well." Jaze in his human form explained. If he had remained as his villain self there was no doubt someone would try to arrest him for creating an uproar at one of the major intersections. He'd only been in Gotham for a day and a bit and already _Jaze_ had a bad reputation. "Raven and Starfire are searching for Batman and your younger self while Beast Boy…went somewhere. We have yet to find him and the guy who shot you. Slade is missing and we think he went to chase the boy."

He sighed and rolled his eyes behind his mask—thank goodness that was still on. But if Slade and that other man were going to double up and off the Bat, the Dark Knight might not have a chance. After all, they were from the future.

"I have to—"

"Go to the hospital." Cyborg finished for him, even though it was far from what he was going to say. "Dammit, Robin, you got shot. Don't make them knock you out on the way there."

"And—"

"And we'll meet you there." Jaze interrupted. "Just rest."

Rest? _Rest_? Rest wasn't in his vocabulary! If they thought—

"You're delusional, Robin. I think you do need some chloroform." Jaze continued, almost _hinting _it to the paramedics when they stepped back to leave them to their job. "Be good, Robin!"

_Ooooh_…he was going to kill for this.

-S-

A slow as things were going, everything was happening as exactly as it was planned. The Titans came, their spirits were broken, Robin was out of the picture for now (a biggy), the younger Robin was probably hidden somewhere (holding still for Slade to find him), and the Bat was out to meet his doom. Just a little longer and then they could meet up with _Him_ to seal the fate of Slade's teenaged adversary.

It was almost too good to be true.

"Nice shot." Slade said, walking down the alleyway casually toward where Wintergreen knelt. The older man had returned to the car to take out the duffle-bag they had in the trunk. Though Slade could fight Batman had to hand, Wintergreen was falling into age and wasn't as fortunate. He would need a little something to protect himself from the man as he searched for the child.

"Thanks." Wintergreen replied, not looking up as he loaded his gun. There was another one in a holster at his belt and a few of Slade's explosives hung attached to the belt he strapped vertically across his chest. He was ready for this. "Where's the kid?"

Slade stared at his right wrist (the time watch being on the left) where a small screen displaced a blinking red dot. When Slade injected the younger Robin with the serum, he also implanted a tracking device. Wherever he went, Slade would find him.

"Not too far from here. He's in another alleyway just a block or so away." And then he frowned. "As for Gotham's caped crusader, I can't say much for him. He's probably out looking for me."

When he looked back to Wintergreen, he noticed an even deeper frown than his own. "Perhaps we shouldn't have let Batman meet the child. After all, those two were supposed to be the original master and apprentice."

Too true. But some ropes need slack until you can sort out the knots. So what if Robin met Batman? He would never grow a father son bonding with him and he would never lean to fight for justice from him either. Even if Batman didn't die tonight, Robin would never become a hero.

Slade was going to see that through until the end.

"Company." Wintergreen muttered and Slade spun around to see where he was looking. There, standing in the mouth of the alleyway, the Dark Knight waited just outside the light of the streetlamps to create an eerie silhouette. If you looked hard enough you could almost imagine those narrow white eyes glowing dangerously. It was a perilous job when you got on the hero's bad side, but Slade had no fear. He lived for a good challenge.

"A man of business." Slade said aloud, his voice almost echoing in the dark alley. "I think we can get along quite well this way…"

The opponent said nothing in reply. Instead, with a flick of the wrist, a famous batarang appeared in each hand, glinting in what little light there was. These weren't toys and they weren't meant to use for fun.

The Bat was out for blood.

"No words? I respect that…"

Wintergreen backed up in the alleyway, off to start his first task of the night. Batman's eyes followed the man but he left him alone. He knew he could take out Wintergreen—it was Slade that was the problem and that was why he was his first concern.

Take out the greater danger and the rest is game from then on out.

"Are we just going to stand out here in the cold, or are we going to _fight_?"

The hero wasn't much for insults and leapt forward to answer Slade's question. To both of them the night was still young and they had a longs ways yet to go.

And in the night a tiny spider crawled away into the darkness before taking flight as a raven, off to do what it did best.

-LR-

It took him long enough, but _eventually_ he found out how to open the door. He had no idea where to go from there, but perhaps if he found someone else they could tell him where he was. That was his best idea.

Somewhere above a raven cried out and he looked up to watch it circle around the glow of the moon. He shivered in the evening air and wondered if he should wait for someone to find him like Batman suggested.

Yeah, but wasn't something like his vehicle, which was loaded with an assortment of weapons, important enough not to leave out where people usually roamed. Besides, who went for a mid-night walk in a dark alleyway who-knows-where? Maybe if they wanted to get mugged or killed, but certainly not if they were sane.

In short, he would most likely be stuck there until who-knows-when? It was better to get somewhere where normal people could find him than wait out where gangs stalked with guns and switch-blades.

Darn…now he was freaking himself out.

The raven cried out again as though it made a discovery and swooped down over Robin as he slowly started down the alleyway. In one direction there was a bend leading to another alley, and the way he was going was toward the street.

The raven glided down once more, this time closer to his head and he waved his hands above his head to scare it away. "Please leave me alone." He pleaded quietly. "I just want to find my way home."

Home…Home was the circus. Home was with his best friend Ella and his…parents…who were dead now to Tony Zucco and…him. He was just so stupid to have kept quiet. If he would have said something he'd still have his parents, he wouldn't have been kidnapped, and no one else would be in danger. The blame was solely his and maybe he deserved to get stuck with Slade.

"Hey—kid!"

He froze and spun around. A teenaged boy was crouching on the ground behind him, much as though he had just landed from jumping. He looked to be…green? Maybe it was just the lighting, or maybe there was something wrong with his eyes.

Or maybe the boy was green. After all, some guy from the future came back in time to abduct him. What else was new…?

"Hey there little guy."

"Ummm…" He began backing up, unsure of this new kid. He had no idea if this boy was working with Slade or not. He looked odd enough… "Hi…"

"Oh…" The boy paused and laughed as though he just caught a joke. "Yeah…you probably don't want to talk to me after everything that's happened to you. Well…uh…what can I say to you that won't sound suspicious…Yikes, I don't know…"

Robin kept backing up, getting closer and closer to the street. Maybe he could stop someone on the sidewalk, but if this kid came after him.

"No…not that either. Hmmm…well, how about—hey! Don't go! If you leave, that old guy working with Slade might get you!"

"And how do you know about him?" That would mess him up. "And how do you know he works for Slade."

"Hello—he shot Robin!"

Robin?

"That's my name."

"That's also the name of my team's leader and he looks—"

"Just like me?"

The boy blinked and slowly nodded. "Yeah…you two've met before?"

He had…and now this was getting so complicated. That boy who looked like him could be…

"Are you from the future?"

Now it was the boy's turn to look confuse. He nodded again in the same slow manner and eyed Robin suspiciously. "How'd you know that?"

Then…then… "He's me—from the future!"

"YES!" The kid did some sort of victory dance and grinned his face away. "Sweet! I didn't have to explain everything. I mean, you're really smart—but I had no idea you were this smart when you were young, you know?"

Robin shook his head slowly.

"Oh—that's right. You don't know anything that's supposed to happen." His eyes went wide and words flew from his mouth almost too quickly for Robin to hear. "Slade and you are enemies—he's a bad guy—you're a hero—he wanted you to be his apprentice—he caught you—you got away—he tried again—you got away—then he decided to come back in time and—"

"Tried to get me here—I know…"

"You did?" He scratched the back of his head. "Then that means you already know Slade wants you to be his apprentice…that explains the mask."

Ugh—_the mask_! He hated it so much—how could he have forgotten about it!

"Stupid thing…" Robin cursed under his breath and raised a hand to his face to tear it off. The sooner he got rid of it, the better—

"_I'd keep that on if I were you…"_

Robin froze and the green boy turned around with wide eyes. Strolling down from the other end of the alleyway was none other than Wintergreen, a gun aimed at Robin's latest friend.

"_Otherwise…someone else will have to die tonight."_

Oh no…

-A-

Alex: Yay—another cliffhanger.

Victor: Hurry up and write the next chapter.

Alex: Actually—due to a piece of advice from a couple of people—I'm taking a long overdue vacation from writing.

Victor: O.o?...And how long is this vacation going to take?

Alex: Hmmm…three weeks.

Victor: I HATE YOU! You can't leave us here, right when it's getting so good. What is to become of Little Robin, Beast Boy, normal Robin, and Batman! Slade and Wintergreen are in the lead! AHHHHHHHHHHH!

Alex: Calm down—

Victor: I mean—you got so many reviews—seventeen in two days! You can't do this to your readers after all they've done for you?

Alex: Victor—

Victor: Sure—I mean, you're the update-a-holic, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing! And they leave you hanging a lot and for longer—but think of the children!

Alex: JOHN!...I was joking.

Victor: (_Lost for breath, smacks Robin on the back of head._) Don't you** DARE** try something like that again!

Alex: The readers have been very kind to me and that's why I want to give them another special thanks for sticking with me. The real news is—for those who read Blast—I'm going to be starting book four soon, but the updates will be slower due to the fact that this story isn't as long and already it has twice as many reviews.

Victor: Cool.

Alex: And I want to thank you again for helping me reach my third goal of **300** (three hundred) reviews. My next aim is four hundred, but that means I have to get busy…Which means that I have to leave you now so that I can start on the next chapter. You want me to, don't you?...

_You'll get the next chapter in the next few days (and you know that isn't a lie),_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

_And,_

_Victor Van Heiring_


	35. Chapter eleven: Guilt trick

Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Victor: I heard their making a season five for Teen Titans.

Alex: Really? Is Slade still holding out to be the big baddie in that one?

Victor: Probably—but it's just a rumor so far. He he he…But we saw the one with Control Freak Thursday night where they get sucked into the channels. That was so funny!

Alex: Yeah. I liked the little Darth Vader scene. That kid that fought the Darth spoof looked like Robin somewhat. It was pretty okay, because now I at least have an idea of what his eyes look like…but I'm probably absolutely wrong…Control Freak is a freak.

Victor: Yeah, but that idiot's funny. I'm glad Beast Boy got to head this one. He doesn't get enough credit as a hero.

Alex: I can't wait to see Birthmark and The Quest. Those two are next, a new episode each Thursday.

Victor: If I was still in America I wouldn't have to wait so long…

Alex: -.- Quit complaining. Oh—and the raven Robin saw flying around was Beast Boy. Sometimes in the show he transforms into a raven to fly, and I think that's because he likes Raven. Besides, ravens are omens of bad luck and look what happening now…

DISCLAIMER: Eh…………………no.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Guilt trick

A quick uppercut sent him reeling back and he hit the brick wall. Closing his eyes briefly, he opened them just in time to dodge aside another fist headed toward his face. This, instead, connected with the wall and made dust fly as little speck of debris shattered off the wall. Whoever this guy was, he wasn't entirely human. No one had that much strength after fighting for as long as they had—not even he could do that.

The Dark Knight pulled out of his last batarangs and used them more as knives than rather then risk throwing them and missing. _Slash—slash!_ The armor on Slade's forearms was light but strong. Batman was barely able to leave a scratch.

He crossed his arms to block a kick, but Slade fooled him and purposely missed so that he could land beside him and plant his fist in the stomach. Bending forward into the blow, Batman fell to his knees as the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth. One cough and it splashed against the ground as he fought for air. Slade could hit hard…boy could he hit hard. This was no amateur mobster who gained all his powers through allies and the men that worked for him. Slade started from scratch and made his way to the top on his own. Sure, he probably manipulated a person every then and again, and that's probably why he kidnapped a kid. If he wanted a right hand man, it would be better to teach someone younger and keep them under your thumb through being their guardian.

Though he doubted Slade would make a fair parent.

"You fight like him…"

Batman said nothing, clutching his sore stomach as the man began to pace in circles around him. This man loved to play the predator and prey game—that was what he was doing right now.

"But…you don't even know what I'm talking about, do you…_Bruce_?"

How…how did he know? He kept everything an absolute secret! No one—_no one_ but he and Alfred knew his real identity and he highly doubted his loyal friend would rat him out. This man had to have gotten his information elsewhere. He must have known someone close to him…But how.

"You…" There was a pause as he spat up more blood, but Slade waited patiently for him to finish. "You know…how?"

"Richard Grayson, Bruce…"

But that made no sense. Richard didn't know Bruce—they hadn't even met yet…in their real faces. Richard knew _Batman_ but he didn't know _Bruce_…

"He and I…never met."

"You didn't need to. Naturally, I looked up on who wanted to adopt _my son…_" The last two words were said venomously—warning Batman that he was making a mistake looking into taking Richard. It was a claim, even though it wasn't legal. Slade wasn't going to risk losing this kid and Batman wondered why. Sure, his agility and skill would make it easier for him to learn how to fight, but there had to be something else going on. Slade didn't seem like the type of guy to pick a tearful little kid who would kick and scream and try to die if he couldn't escape…

"Why him…"

"Why him?" Slade almost laughed at the question, still circling around him. "Many reasons…do you honestly want to know?..." He was answered with silence and took that as well as enough an answer. "We think alike and I can relate to him. He can stand the heat of reckless training and isn't one to give up easily. Not to mention…there is also the matter of…revenge…"

"Revenge…" Revenege for what? Did he cut the ropes for the Graysons. Did he have something against the kid's family—what was it?

"Revenge for thinking he could get away—revenge for disobeying me all those times. This is revenge for what he will do unless I take him now, and I am not going to risk losing something great now that I have my chance. Wouldn't you agree?"

No—he didn't agree. This is was…this was disturbing. This man was going to ruin a child's entire life and fill his memories to the brim with anguish and carnage. Who wanted to live a life of killing—surely not Richard. And how dare Slade take him right after his parents died.

And how could he judge that Richard's future—no one knew what the future held.

"Well…what does it matter to you…Not like you'll see what will happen…"

Batman finally forced himself to stand, all his lower ribs aching—broken. He couldn't fight. There were times when he could fight until he was barley breathing, but this was one of those few times where he couldn't move unless he wanted to die instantly. He was bleeding inside and dying already, but…something…he didn't know what it was. He knew there was no way he was going to be saving Richard any time soon, but still…Every second led to a farther distance between the poor child and this maniac.

There was a beeping sound and Slade glanced at his right wrist before shutting it off. "…I am a very competitive man, Bat, and I don't like having the competition hanging around forever. It was fun while it lasted, but this game grows old and my patience runs thin—though I compliment you for holding out this long. I expected that my final blow would kill you but you proved me wrong there…"

Then, stepping out, Slade did exactly as Batman thought. Taking out his gun, Slade took aim for the head and laughed once—almost as though at a joke.

"To think…you taught him…"

_Bang!_

And then there was no more…

-LR-

Time seemed to stop in that instant and Robin didn't know what to do or say. The first thing that came to mind was to lover his hand and listen to Wintergreen—but he knew Slade and the older man hadn't been fixing their weapons and carefully devising a plan for nothing—if Wintergreen was holding a gun now, he meant to shoot no matter what.

"Whoa…who the heck are you?" The strange green boy asked as he cautiously eyed the gun. "Haven't seen you before…"

"I work with Slade on the odd days. Care to ask more, or can I shoot you already?"

As serious as this was, Robin was ignoring the two. He kept repeating what Wintergreen said to him over and over again in his head…

'_I'd keep that on if I were you…Otherwise…someone else will have to die tonight."_

Someone else? Did that mean…

"You killed him?" Robin breathed quietly, only half watching the man as he pressed something on his wrist. It beeped a few times before silence followed, no doubt a signal to Slade that he had found the boy. "You killed Batman?"

"He dies as we speak." Was the cruel reply and Robin felt his lungs seize up in his chest, holding in a breath he desperately needed to release. One of his last hopes…dead….Another person punished because of him…dead…

"What did I do…" Robin said quietly, staring at the ground. He didn't know if he should scream or shout or cry…he was in too much shock to decide. "He…How…Why?"

Wintergreen, hand never faltering, risked a quick glance at the small boy as he kept his eye on the green teenager. "It's not so much what _you_ did—but more so what your_ future self_ did. The Dark Knight was a fault in the plan that we could not afford to have hanging around. Think of it this way—he'll get to see heaven sooner."

"NO WAY!" The green one exclaimed, obviously knowing the caped crusader a little more than what most people did. "You're bluffing!"

"Am I?" The gun was still steady. "Why don't you go see for yourself? I'm sure heaven has its doors opened to—"

"Don't!" Robin took a panicky step forward, lowering his hand just now. "Please don't. I—I'll come if you don't shoot. Please…just don't kill him..."

There was a small grin of victory on the older man's face while the green one's displayed a look of utter shock and horror as he stared back at the boy in disbelief. His mouth hung open, lost for words as Wintergreen, finger still on the trigger, lowered the gun slightly to show he would honor the bargain. He was, after all, to take Robin back to his main captor.

Crushed, he stared at the ground as he stepped forward with a small sigh. Wintergreen lowered the gun further and watched with the same smirk as the distance between the two of them lessened. It wasn't until the green boy stepped in Robin's way did the assassin frown. He wasn't in the mood for delays.

"Come on, kid—you can't go with this guy! A lot of people are depending on the fact that you grow up to become a hero and not some…whacko…evil villain dude!"

"Step aside." Wintergreen growled, his trigger finger itchy. He'd shoot the boy if he became too much of a nuisance.

"What choice do I have?" Robin whispered, bitter defeat heavily coating each word. "I'm just a kid. People pick me up and put me where they want me, and I can do nothing until I can rely only on myself. I can't compete…"

He hated hearing those words—even more so from his own mouth. They tasted so awful on his tongue and he made a mental note to himself to never try anything he knew he'd lose at. He hated losing—he hated failure…What an odd thing…

"Talk about harsh." The boy growled—and this was a genuine growl, something that belonged to a tiger that grew low in the back of the throat until the beast was ready to pounce. Narrow eyes turned on the older man when the teenager said this, but with a small twitch of the gun he held his next words at bay.

Still not moving for him, Robin made to step around the boy when a hand shot out to stop him. This confused him further, but he was almost grateful when they boy placed himself once more between Wintergreen and Robin.

This must have been another hero.

"How can you do this too a kid? What is wrong with you—he did nothing wrong! And his parents are dead!" It was the same argument Robin had, but he already knew neither of his captors cared. "HOW DARE YOU pick on a little child when he is at his weakest."

"He won't be weak forever—you have my word on that. He only comes to be perfected."

And what was there to be perfected—nothing! A child doesn't _need_ to be perfect. No one did. All that he had was there only to be destroyed. Innocence, kindness, mercy—he couldn't see Slade approving of those things. They would be the first to go because he knew he'd be forced to kill someone sooner or later. Slade didn't want him to just hit and run—he wanted him to hit and kill, and Robin refused to do such a thing. But what could he do besides voice his argument and put up a pathetic fight against someone bigger, stronger and smarter than he was? Quite simply…nothing—nada, nihil!

"You might not fear being shot as much as others…" Wintergreen started; mischief in his voice. "But do you really want your death haunting the child's mind for the rest of his life. I'll only shoot if he doesn't come—and I doubt you can attack me fast enough to escape a speeding bullet." Silence was the only answer and so he continued. "Do you honestly think he needs more trauma in his life after causing three deaths in this last day and a half? What kind of hero are you?"

Oh, the guilt trick…and it was working, more so on Robin rather than the strange teenager—he even knew the small speech was directed at him. Wintergreen was just saying it to the other boy to make him feel horrible.

Sometimes he hated his conscience.

"Please…" Robin gripped the boy's wrist and stood beside him, looking up at a melancholy face. That speech really went to the guy's heart. "I don't want to hurt anyone else because of me."

"But…I…" The kid was lost at words.

_Bang!_

The boy shrieked like a beast and fell to his knees, gripping his left thigh. The bullet went straight through, leaving a clear path skimming right past the bone. He was lucky it missed that, but the pain was excruciating nonetheless and he whimpered as he applied pressure to the wound. Both hands pressed against his thigh, the boy sat on his right hip and shut his eyes tight as he bit back a scream. He bit so hard on his lower lip, it too began to bleed.

"That is as fair a warning I'm going to give to you." Wintergreen snapped, starting forward. "If you would have minded your own business, you wouldn't be in any pain at all right now. And _you_—" The man's eyes turned sharply on Robin. "Come here before I shoot a lot higher than my last shot. Time is running out and even Slade can't hold his patience forever."

Robin wanted to protest as he knelt beside the boy, a hand on his shoulder. But, upon eyeing that gun, he knew there was no escape. He had to go…no matter how much he didn't want to.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered to the boy as he stood. Wintergreen was close enough to him now and grabbed his right arm in a smart grip just below the shoulder. Robin yelped quietly from the pain, knowing a nasty bruise would be left in its place, as Wintergreen dragged him off. He stumbled as he walked, but the man kept up a quick pace, Robin still lagging behind. A part of him wanted him to stay with the boy and make sure help came, but he knew there was no way Wintergreen was going to let him stay.

"Stop fooling around." Wintergreen snapped and picked Robin up. He just watched the boy over the man's shoulder and silently prayed someone would find him.

He didn't want him to bleed to death because of him…

-A-

Victor: AHK! I hate the weather up here! It snowed _again_! It's snowing in APRIL! When does it ever end!

Alex: Weather is generally unpredictable here. Last week it was warm enough to go outside without shirt on. You'll get used to it.

Victor: When will it stop?

Alex: Ummm…our record for the longest time of snowfall was…until mid June.

Victor: DUDE! Your summers have snow!

Alex: It was a record—I didn't say it happened every year.

PS: You guys will probably figure out who _He_ is in the next chapter—and no, it's not the Joker…though that would be interesting. Some people have already guessed it, but I won't say who because then you'd all go and read the reviews to see who it was. Sorry, but you'll just have to wait until the next update.

And yes, did you think I was going to let Batman escape that easily? Come on—I had to kill the guy. But you'll see more of him…or will you?

_Stayed tuned to find out,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

_And,_

_Victor Van Heiring_


	36. Chapter twelve: Him

Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

I'm alone today…so I'm just going to cut to the chase for once.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Teen Titans or anything connected to them through the DC comic universe. That includes all heroes, villains, and past profiles of the characters, though there may be modifications.

CHAPTER TWELVE: _Him…_

After shooting the green boy, Wintergreen had to admit to himself that he felt a little bad for doing such a thing. Maybe he should have held his temper—Robin was coming with him one way or another. But time…Time was of the essence and they had very little of it. Slade was going to be there soon.

The _younger_ Slade.

The Slade he knew couldn't be there for certain purposes, and that was why it was Wintergreen's job to deliver the child and instructions on what to do in the near future to make his plans of corrupting the world easier. It had taken a while, but over the phone Wintergreen somehow convinced his old—or young—friend that he was right. Slade understood after a series of tests to prove he wasn't lying, but the details to those were boring. He was only lucky Slade was looking for an apprentice as early as this. He actually seemed interested in Robin when Wintergreen spoke to him about the boy and he promised to take good care of him…

Tied with his hands behind his back, Robin sat in the back of another stolen car. He was squirming around, trying to free his wrists from the rope. The attempt was in vain, but still he tried.

"I hate you."

Wintergreen sighed. He had the car parked along the side of the deserted road. Not many people were out and that made his job all the more easier. "I already know that." He answered as he propped his elbow up against the steering wheel to support his chin with his fist. "You've made that quite clear by now."

"I don't see why you have to tie me up. This car has a child lock on the door."

"Oh, I'm not afraid of you escaping, little one—I just don't want you to grab me so you can bit me again."

"You deserved that…" Robin muttered, reminding Wintergreen of the pain. The little kid made his mark on the man's left hand, the bleeding stopping only a short while ago. It earned the boy a sharp slap across the face, but, surprisingly, he didn't cry.

He was already trying to harden himself.

"Why can't you just let me go?"

"I'm evil."

"What did I ever do to you?"

"You bit me."

"Before that."

"You ticked Slade off."

"When?"

"You…well, your future self did—but won't now that you're going to meet Slade's younger self."

"You're enslaving me."

"…Must you make it sound like a death sentence?"

The boy smacked the back of his head against the car seat in fury and muttered something under his breath. "Death sounds nice right about now…"

Wintergreen just rolled his eyes. The deed was as good as done and as soon as Slade showed up he could shove his conscience aside again. Even though he was trying to act hard, he still felt sorry for the little kid. No one should have to go through something like this at such a young age…

The little fellow didn't deserve it.

"Kid, in this life you win some and you lose something. Just give in and make it easier on yourself. You might even gain from this."

"How is losing my heart a gain?"

"Quit acting like a smart guy."

"Quit it? Really? I thought that was one of the acquirements to get yourself into this position…"

He rolled his eyes a second time. "You're damned kid—get used to it. I'm not going to let you go and Slade sure as hell isn't. Get it?"

"Language." The boy tisked, trying to mock Wintergreen while he still had the chance. "I thought adults didn't swear in front of kids."

"You're a kid? Could have fooled me. You're more of a demon than anything else."

This little argument was giving him a migraine and he hoped Robin would cut it out already. Much to his surprise…he did.

-LR-

_I wish I was dead. I wish I was dead. I wish I was dead. I wish I was dead. I wish I was—_

What was he kidding himself? Things were just going to go from bad to worse on him and that meant he had to be alive. If there was anyone listening to his prayers, they sure as heck weren't going to let him die. No. For some strange reason he was doomed to suffer a horrible life, to adjust to killing and learning under the burning eye of some guy he never heard of before. Slade was a nightmare with legs and a heartbeat—probably the most dangerous thing on the planet second to Armageddon.

_I wish I was somewhere else_.

At least that wish was more realistic. He hated being alone—especially with only one of his captors to talk to. He annoyed the hell out of the guy to make himself feel a little better, but now he had given up on trying to rid his gut of the twisting feeling. He couldn't help but imagine what horrors awaited him and what horrors he had already seen. Visions of his parents' death kept popping back inside his mind and it almost brought him to the brink of tears. He choked, successfully holding them back, but Wintergreen heard the small sound and half-glanced over his shoulder at Robin.

Then he started hiccupping. It always happened whenever he prevented himself from crying and the high-pitch sound of it drove him nuts. It made him seem tinier than what he was trying to present himself as. He learned soon that even using larger words didn't work to make him seem older—people just thought it was cute and that was far from the impression he was trying to achieve.

Taking deep, silent breaths, the hiccups left him and he could relax again. It wasn't until he saw a dark silhouette crossing the street ahead of them that his stomach twisted again. He was afraid again…only feeling that way twice before. The first was when he fell for the first time as an acrobat and the second was when his parents died and he was suddenly kidnapped by Slade.

The car off, Robin watched as Wintergreen opened the door and stepped outside. Slamming it behind him, the older man crossed the street and met with a man in front of a closed shop. They stood there for a long time before Wintergreen handed him a few sheets of paper. The man—as Robin knew as the Slade of this time—read them over and over again as they waited silently in the cold evening air. Finally, Slade nodded to Wintergreen and watched as the old man walked around the corner out of sight.

Honestly, Robin would have preferred to have been stuck inside the car with Wintergreen for another three hours. He _really_ didn't want to go through with this…

The man, taking his time, crossed the street and made his way toward the car. Robin held his breath and kept quiet as the front driver side door was opened so the man could slide in. He sat down and closed the door, looking over the papers once more before looking at by the rear-view mirror with his one cold eye. He wore a coat over his costume like Slade had when he came to the circus, but Robin noticed his mask was made of cloth rather than metal.

"The second prize." Slade whispered, but Robin heard, still stiff with fear. He frowned worriedly, but made no witty come-back to out-speak Slade. For some reason, this younger version seemed scarier. "And Robin is your name?"

He shook his head slowly and this interested the villain.

Turning around to glance over his shoulder, Slade eyed the boy with a small laugh. "Then what, exactly is your real name?"

"Richard…Grayson."

"The acrobat?" He placed a gloved hand to his chin and stroked it in thought. "Then it won't be that hard to teach you…From what I heard, you can do quite a bit." There was a considerably long pause after that statement as Slade pondered on something else. "Robin will suit you better now. To put it plainly, boy—Richard Grayson is _dead_."

He wanted to shout no—he wanted to bolt from the car and run until his feet began to bleed. He wanted to put as much distance as possible between him and Slade, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. Slade was going to make sure that didn't happen and Robin was too small to stop him. This was his punishment for a crime he never committed. This was the hell he would endure before he'd die.

And boy was he in for a long ride.

Looking out the window, he sat back and tried to sleep as the car started forward. Maybe he'd discover a way to escape…Maybe someway he'd find a better life. This couldn't be the end, after all—he was still just a kid. There were many years left for him to live.

And he suddenly had the growing fear that he'd spend the rest of it with _Him_.

-R-

The bone was broken and that was why he was sent into the emergency room. The operation happened immediately and it happened so quickly, Robin could barely remember coming to the hospital. Now that he thought about it, he'd been forgetting a lot of things lately. It wasn't like him to be this way…

Something was wrong.

When the operation was finished and he began to wake, he found himself as weak as ever and shaky all over. His body protested against movement and his eyes refused to stay opened for long. Sleep was due to come again soon, but he had to see someone. He had to find out what was happening.

And suddenly he was scared. Light-headed and dizzy, he tried to think of the date or what city he was in, but everything was scrambled. He was panicking, and by the time Jaze came in his human form Robin was shouting for help.

"What is it—Robin! Calm down! What is it?" Jaze was holding onto his shoulders, pressing him back down onto the bed gently to lie as he tried to stand—despite his state of weakness.

"Something—I don't know." His eyelids felt heavy again. "Richard…Richard…"

"What are you talking about? Robin?...Robin!"

He couldn't stay awake. It felt as though he was walking in a dream and that was why he relaxed. Sleep claimed him and he didn't fight it. Something was so wrong…but what was it? What was he thinking? Why was…

It all started to fade…

-A-

Want to find out what happens next? Well, stay tuned for the thirteenth chapter. There's a lot more for me to go through so don't go thinking it's over—I'm having too much fun with this. As for snow…I really do hate it sometimes.

Well, for once I'm tired (which is pretty odd for me) and so I'm going to let that claim me too. And to think, it's only eleven…that's a record for me for the earliest time I went to bed. I hope you guys get good sleep so—tttt (ta ta til then)

_Until Again_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	37. Chapter thirteen: Place

Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Victor: Hello, people. Alex is gone to the doctor because his knee is swollen (same one he busted last time) and so he pre-wrote the next chapter and gave it to me to type it up for him. If I make a few spelling or grammar mistakes, I'm sorry—and I hope Alex gets back soon. He was in a really bad mood yesterday…

DISCLAIMER: Don't own 'em.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Place

He woke with a start, waking from a nightmare...Or was it a nightmare? He dreamed of a life never lived—one where no one died because of him and in which he had friends...four, very odd friends...He suddenly wished he could remember their names. It was somewhat glorious because he was in love with a very beautiful girl, and he fought for righteousness and justice—not death and destruction. Slade was there...but he didn't work for him—he fought him. He fought him with everything he had and his friends were always there to help him out. And he was _always _called Robin...never "apprentice" or "Slade's kid" like he usually was. His real name was Richard and Slade knew that, but he only ever called him Robin and so his real name faded away. He hadn't been called Richard in...what—three years?

He was still a boy, only ten, but he was hard for his age. Things he could do included torturing someone, surviving training sessions, and killing. Things he 'never' did included crying, speaking out of turn, and disobeying Slade...well, really only when he was watching. Otherwise, he would do whatever he could against Slade's orders without the man seeing. Sometimes he was lucky and slipped away unnoticed while other times he was caught and punished—always wondering what made him do such foolish things in the first place. He didn't like to do the things he did—especially killing and torturing, but that couldn't be helped when Slade watched him and waited to finish the job for him if he hesitated too long. As long as Robin did the deed at least you were guaranteed a quick death—not the long agonizing torment you went through before Slade would allow you to die. The training sessions...they were tough, but it helped him to survive. And the better he did the less Slade tested him. 

He hated to admit it sometimes, but he was grateful he was taught to survive, even if it was by someone he hated with all his heart and soul.

He lay back down and rested on his side, facing the far wall. The dream kept coming to his mind and he couldn't help but feel a surge of pain in his heart as he imagined what it would be like if that had really been his life...It was so hard to live now...

One of his friends in his dream was that boy he knew when he was first kidnapped. It had been the green kid who tried to stop him from going with Wintergreen, and Robin still regreted not listening to him. He should have run...But no. Wintergreen warned to shoot higher if he didn't come, and that was why he lost. He loved life and sought to preserve it for others, but Slade was slowly trying to destroy that about him. All the time, he was tested harder and longer to see if he would give in. Half of the state was already Slade's since Slade attacked everywhere just seven month ago, and Robin had been busy spying on anyone Slade wanted him to. He was small and he was a kid—soldiers didn't shoot kids.

The dream again...Slade would go nuts if he found out about it. If he knew Robin had that dream, there would be hell to pay.

He had to talk to someone though...Perhaps doctor Manning. He was always awake late into the night working on one thing or the other. He would talk to Robin—the closest thing he had to a father figure. Though Slade sought to fill that role, John Manning secretly already had. Robin never told anyone of course, and that was for a good reason. He'd really be asking for punishment if Slade heard about that. 

But what if that was the way things were supposed to mean. He didn't just dream up of an entire life for no apparent reason. Everything...Mad Mob, the Joker, Two Face, Tony Zucco, Cinderblock, Mumbo, Catwoman, Batman, Alfred, Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven, Cybrog—their faces were still so vivid in his mind, friends and foes...It scared him. And he remembered...

What if Slade went back in time to make sure this happened? What if this dream was a warning...

He tossed to the other side and closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep again. He welcomed any dream different from the first—even a nightmare looked nice right about now, but his hopes were held too high. There was a beep on his ear communicator and he didn't need to answer to know Slade wanted to see him.

He was again—going from one nightmare to the other.

-LR-

Getting called by Slade was always an unhappy event for Robin, but what was worse was arriving to find that he wasn't in the main room, the lab, or his office which was covered with plans written done on papers scattered all over the floor and table. It either meant that A) He was going to jump out of him and the training would begin; or B) Robin would have to go searching around the building for the man.

Turned out to be the latter of the two. Robin looked high and low all over the building, but he couldn't find a thing. Upon running into Wintergreen—the rightful man of this time—he finally found out was happening.

"The Justice League." The _'still'_ old man sighed. "He caught one of them. Check in the basement—that's where you'll find Slade."

The basement…Actually, Robin nicknamed it the torture-chamber, along with the people who ever entered it and came out alive. It wasn't guaranteed that you would be perfectly sane or that even all your limbs would be attached, but coming out alive was quite lucky when you though about it. Robin made a silent count of how many people who went in and out—not as a corpse, coming to a round estimate of seven percent. That was one of strong reasons he hated going down there.

No doubt Slade was going to show Robin some fun. He didn't know what it was about the man, but Slade loved watching him kill more the man himself enjoyed murderer. Maybe it was a sign that he had won—but he won two years ago. He was just insane…

Not that Robin would dare say that to his face. That would be disastrous…

Coming to a set of stairs, he strolled down into the darkness with a sigh and came to a hall shrouded in a dark blue haze. It was night outside and the light was from the moon, illuminating Slade's robots posted two to each door along the hall. He came to one of the last ones which was left unguarded, a sure sign that the robots were on the inside.

Placing a small hand on the door, Robin pushed it opened gently and peeked his head inside. Much to his surprise, neither Slade nor his commandoes were in there. But there was a…_guest_. Robin had never actually met the guy, but by the description in Slade's files, Robin could tell it was the Green Lantern.

Hands tied behind his back, beaten and blindfolded, the JLA member sat on the floor by the wall, back leaning against it for support. His head hung low until he heard Robin, snapping up to see even though he couldn't. There was a scowl on his face and there was no doubt he thought the boy was his tormentor, Deathstroke the Terminator.

"Back so soon?" He snarled. "Do you honestly think you'll get anything out of me?"

"No…actually." Robin said softly and quietly closed the door behind him.

Just a look at GL's expression and he could tell the man was shocked to hear a kid. He even stumbled to find the words to say. "What are you doing here, kid? Do you know where you are?"

"Slade's current lair."

"Then…" Realization slowly dawned on him. "You're that little boy—the one that was reported missing and kidnapped two years ago. Richard Grayson…"

Robin stiffened; frozen from hearing that name…No one had called him that in so long. It actually broke his heart to hear it again.

"That's me…" He admitted solemnly. "But I take no pride out of being the man's apprentice…"

"Then why don't you run?'

"Tried—I'm too small. He's faster, stronger and smarter…I can't compete."

He hated saying that, but it was the truth. He had tried so many times in the past, he had finally lost count. Last he remembered, he tried at least twice every month, but for the last twelve weeks he had been pretty busy. Slade was getting tired of Robin's attempts to escape and kept a closer eye on him.

Which he probably was doing now.

"How'd you get caught?"

GL shook his head slowly, not really wanting to remember the event. "They got me with a knock-out gas and took my ring. What's your story?"

"Parents died, he took me in the crowd—long story after that—here I am today." That sentence didn't make much sense, but he wasn't too keen on remembering it in detail either.

"_Since when did I tell you to socialize with the prisoners?"_

Robin jumped from pure shock and spun around as he backed away a few steps. The door had opened and Slade stood a few mere feet away from him. "Well?" Slade pressed, never satisfied unless he got an answer, and silence was _not_ an answer…

"Never." Robin answered meekly.

Slade's one eye narrowed, but then it looked on toward the beaten figure by the far wall. "Comfortable—or did I miss something the last time we talked. You didn't have much to say then, but I'm sure I can loosen up your tongue a bit…"

"You're welcome to try." GL spat and refused to speak any further.

Three of Slade's robots entered the holding cell then and made an advance toward the limp figure. Robin knew the man was in for another harsh round, but that he would never see. He was taken by surprise when Slade grabbed him by his arm and directed him hastily toward the door.

"I'm disappointed, Robin." Slade began, walking at a pace almost too fast for Robin to keep up with. His arm was hurting from Slade's iron grip, but he knew better than to protest—that would only make things worse on his behalf; more entertaining for Slade. "I was hoping you would at least shove one of your witty remarks at him. But that little chat was interesting all the same—I _really_ never thought you hated me so badly."

Robin hated it when Slade tried to be harshly sarcastic—it only meant he was angrier than what Robin could usually handle. "Like you never knew…" He muttered. Slade heard anyway and the boy was greeted with a quick backslap across his face before they reached the stairs, followed by a good shake of his arm that almost knocked him off his feet.

"Attitude, Robin—I'll have none of it tonight."

Robin almost actually dared to add another remark, but his instincts told him to reconsider dearly. Did he really want to wake up the next morning after taking a 'lights-out' blow to the head? He only had one of those before, but it was painful enough to remember—a bad reminder if there had ever been one before.

"_Well_, Robin?"

That's right—not answering was a bad thing.

"Yes, sir…" Robin finally admitted and Slade started back toward the stairs, a little slower now to keep Robin from tripping on the way up. They were treacherous and narrow—something a lot of Slade's prisoners fell down on their way to a 93 chance of death. What fun…

-S-

He was getting tired of the boy's disobedience. He was gradually giving in—a good sign when you looked at it the right way—but it was too slow for Slade's liking. Perhaps that was why when Robin became his apprentice, Slade never sought to find another. Robin was hard when he wanted to be, and brave—oh so brave. It must have taken some guts to say that remark just below the stairs. Robin knew he was in for a beating if he persisted in getting on Slade's bad side.

The small boy almost fell once on the way up, but they managed to get to the main level without him dying. Slade actually had lucky captives who died from a broken neck on those stairs rather through a long process of pain and agony. It spoiled his fun, but he had been busy as of late. He had, after taking one and a third of a year off to give Robin basic training. Wintergreen tutored the child whenever he wasn't asleep or under Slade's watchful eye, but somehow the boy still found the time to make up escape plans. Well, Slade's army was making a considerably large attack on the state, and the only thing that was holding out was a small assembly of JLA potentials to the West. They were looking for children who could be heroes, to train them and keep them aside in case the JLA was ever to be destroyed. It was much like what Slade was doing with Robin—but he'd never let his heir stand aside. The best way to learn was by experience, and what a better place to be in than by the side of his master?

Simply, there was none.

Once on the main floor, Slade waited for the small attack he was sure the little boy was going to dish out. As he predicted, Robin pressed down on Slade's hand and wrenched his arm free, raising his right leg into an upper round-house kick. This was immediately brought to an end when Slade caught the leg and pulled, bringing Robin to land on his back with a painful _Oomph!_ Robin could try as many moves as he liked—Slade taught him them all. And when you considered how small the fiery-spirited boy was, it wasn't that hard for Slade to keep his young apprentice under his thumb. It was entertaining at times.

Slade continued down the hall, this time dragged Robin by his ankle. Surprised and still winded, the boy tried his best to free himself, but was rudely interrupted when Slade quickened his pace and turned the corner at the end of the hall quickly. Robin almost hit the wall, but was shaken all the same and could do nothing to escape as he was dragged the rest of the way down to the main room.

He was in for it now.

Tossing him inside, Slade waited until his apprentice quickly jumped to his feet before locking the door and placing his hands behind his back in the same manner he always did.

"Talking back and attacking me—you must be brave tonight, Robin."

The boy said nothing and only scowled at his master. Slade knew it, he knew it—Robin was in for a beating. A mild one tonight, considering what they would be doing tomorrow, but Slade would make it painful all the same.

Robin needed another reminder of his place…

-V (Victor)-

Hn, things are cooking up and I'm sure my cousin has something big planned—because I know he always cuts to the big plan right away instead of circulating around something for too long. He's still not back from the doctor, but I think I know why—that lady would keep me waiting forever if I busted the same knee three times in a row.

_Currently unavailable, the original author,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon,_

_And kind enough to fill in,_

_Victor Van Heiring_


	38. Chapter fourteen: Plans

Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Hello, people, and boy am I in pain. I have a chest cold but it feels like I'm being crushed and my knee is killing me. I've been asleep for quite a while, so if my updates are slightly late, you at least now know why. Oh well, without further ado—the story!

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing besides the plot and my character, Jaze.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Plans

He could barely move by time he woke, but at least he wasn't in the main room anymore where Slade had beaten him to unconsciousness. His left wrist was killing him from when he did a backward hand spring and was brutally grounded when Slade kicked his arm out from under him. That led to landing awkwardly on his wrist and when he stood he couldn't block his left side with that hand. It only got worse from then on out and all he could do was try to stay up while Slade lectured him.

"_The world is an unfair place, Robin. You can either stand beside me and become the best or fall like the others. Do you want to be dead, or do you want to be great?"_

If he answered in truth that would only led to a worse beating, but if he remained quiet it would turn out the same. Giving Slade the answer he wanted was far from what Robin did so…

"_I'd rather die."_

A sharp kick to the ribs and he went flying. Slade kicking Robin must have been like a pro soccer player kicking a soccer ball. Robin's impact with the wall was an agonizing one and the fall to the ground was just about as worse, something that _almost_ knocked him out. He slowly began to black out and that was when Slade lifted him up and took him somewhere…which ended up being the lab.

Doctor J. Manning, a young man who had been fresh out of university when he came across Slade. He wasn't the only one to either—a few other, older scientists were taken by Slade and locked away to work on a machine which enhanced the powers of the human mind. John Manning had been the first test subject and it worked—to a degree. He was…slightly insane, but the chip Slade had implanted on the back of his head kept him under complete control by the tyrant. So far, John stuck to his own inventions and fixing up any human being that got banged up, usually Robin or prisoners Slade still needed alive. Letting him work on the bigger projects could lead to trouble on Slade's behalf.

"And so—he lives!"

Robin had to smile, happy to hear the doctor rather than Slade. He was laying back-down on an operation table. His left wrist was wrapped up and so was his chest, his shirt half to his suit lying on a chair beside him. John stood over him to block the bright light blinding him, a grin noticeable on his face along with a tinge of mischief in his eyes. Something was up—something was always up with the doctor.

"Hello, kiddo. I was worried I'd have to call the Morgue up on you for this one. You were bleeding all over on the left side of your chest when Slade brought you in. You're lucky he didn't throw you down."

Actually, he would have much preferred that. Maybe he would have died then…

"Am I going to live?"

"Yep."

A groan.

"Oh—I know you, kid." John said with a sarcastic roll of his eyes. He was in his speech mood again—and usually what he said gave Robin new hope each time. "You remain undaunted by this perilous—and not so perilous—struggle through captivity toward a dwindling light. You are in no danger for you life, seeing that Slade wants you alive, but your soul would beg to differ—along with your sanity, mind you. You can breath, you can move, you can think—but what good is any of that if you can't speak. I know you want to defy Slade—just speak out already!"

"I did…" He muttered, sitting up with a hard time. "This is how I ended up."

Slade wasn't going to let him go—he didn't want, or have a reason, to let Robin free. All he saw was someone he could manipulate and use to his advantage—that was the way Slade was with everyone. He didn't really care, and all he wanted was control. If there was anything Robin hated more than calling Slade "sir" or "master"—it was "father". And Slade was sometimes so cruel as to keep beating him in one of their arguments until Robin apologized to him using that title. It was a bitter word on his tongue and he hated it—hated it with everything he had.

"_I didn't hear you, Robin…"_

"_I'm sorry…father…"_

He shivered now from the memory and John knew exactly what he was thinking—he could read minds. It was annoying, but this way they could talk and conspire against Slade without the man hearing them. They'd both get it good if Slade ever found out what they were up to…

'_How is it?'_ Robin asked in a thought and John turned away to make it look like he was working on something.

'_Almost finished.'_

'_How much longer?'_

'…_Well…I already tested it.'_

'_And?'_

'_I need to work out a few more bugs, but give me a day or two and then I'll let you try it. Just wait until Slade gets a load out of this.'_

'_Not this Slade—the other one—the one that cause all this trouble…'_

Quite simply, Robin was going back in time to stop Slade and Wintergreen from capturing his younger self. He was going to find Batman and that boy, tell them everything he knew, and then let it all fall into place…What worried him was the fact that he didn't know what would happen if he changed time. For the most part, he knew the slightest detail could change everything, but even John was with him in this. If Robin stopped himself from being captured, chances are Slade would be in prison while John went on with his life too.

He wanted to save his parents…but something told him not to.

"I think I'm going to go now." He sighed as he jumped down from the table gently and made his way around the machinery toward the door. "Goodnight, Dr. Manning."

"Goodnight, Robin."

It reminded him of when his parents put him to the circus. But that was the past—a past of the circus and happier times…a past he would give almost anything to have returned to him…

-S-

Something was up…He hated the feeling when he knew something was wrong but not quite _what_…

He stopped the video tape and rewound it for a short while, replaying it once Robin sat up. There was a long pause between his son and the doctor—something that happened one each footage of tape he recorded from them. They were talking through thoughts thanks to John's powers, but even Slade failed to discover a way to sneak into the doctor's mind and find out what.

They were planning against him—that much was for sure. But how were they going to do it?

Robin got up and left the room, heading down at a slow pace toward his room. John continued to work on a laser gun of sorts, nothing else interesting happening. Slade would have to look at all the doctor had in his lab if he wanted to find out what was going on…and he _would_ stop whatever they were up to…

Slade watched his apprentice on the screen as he reached his room and walked inside tiredly. Lying down, he fell asleep quickly and would probably stay that way until the morning. Beating him was one of the few ways to get him to sleep. On other nights he would visit the doctor against Slade's orders or pace around his room.

"Perhaps I will talk to him tomorrow for you, sir." Wintergreen suggested from behind him. Robin, although he hated Wintergreen to a degree as well, was more willing to talk to the man than he was to Slade. "I doubt he is up for a chat with you after your most recent…_argument_."

"Good…And tell him he better be careful with what he does…"

Slade turned around sharply and headed toward a table in the far corner of the room. On it was an array of his own inventions, usually weapons of sorts that preformed better than many the army supplied to its soldiers. On it, however, was something either than a weapon. It, like the invention that gave John his powers, dealt with the mind.

But this one erased memories.

Or…was going to when Slade was finished with it. Just a day or so more and then he could use it on Robin…

Just a while longer and then the rest of Robin would be under his thumb. He never actually expected such a small child to put up a fight this long, but, then again, Robin was an amazing child. That was why he was with Slade…

And that was why he was going to _stay _with him.

"He will try to escape when he finds out." Wintergreen said aloud, practically reading Slade's mind. He agreed with his intentions, but he worried too much. "You know he'll do anything that he can to escape."

"And he will fail like he always has. Besides…" He turned around and eyed the screen showing his apprentice one last time before it shut off to give him some privacy. "Nobody knows about this besides the two of us. He won't know until it's being done to him."

Wintergreen answered with silence and that meant he was at rest with the answer. As long as Robin didn't know…Unless…unless he was already planning a second escape…

This was too awkward for Slade's liking, and that was why he was going to bring it to an abrupt halt…

_Now_.

-A-

Alex: ACK! Shortness! I'm back to my bad habit! Someone hit me!

_Smack!_

Alex: Ow…what was that for?

Victor: You asked me to do it.

Alex: And what are you doing here? I thought you had to baby-sit your younger brother?

Victor: I brought him here because he and your little sister wanted to play games on the TV.

Alex: Jeez—I feel like I live with the Braidy Bunch…or whatever their called…

Victor: Guess so…

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

_And,_

_Victor Van Heiring_


	39. Chapter fifteen: Be careful

Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Alex: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Victor: Ignore him. He's about to have a massive heart attack.

Alex: My mom just banned me from writing because my little sister took up writing…but she doesn't write good things…

Victor: Oh? What sort of things?

Alex: If my family lived during the days of the Crusade, my mom would chop off the head of any non-catholic. My little sister just happens to write about dragons and my mom, therefore, thinks the devil is influencing her.

Victor: Harsh…Then why are you writing in the closet right now?

Alex: Do you actually think I'll give up writing? I might be a little late with my updates, but I shall never stop typing—TO THE PEOPLE! YEAH!

Victor: Good…I was worried about the world's longest cliffhanger.

Alex: Oh yes—and relax people! All will be explained about the older Robin and the Titans in the end! Just be patient! I can't tell you now or it will ruin the entire story!

DISCLAIMER: Don't own them—but I own this plot and nothing is going to stop me!

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Be careful

"Hey, kid."

For all the horrors in the universe—anything would have been better than meeting up with him.

"Are you going to answer, or do I have to tell your _dad_ that you're not in your room?"

Robin glared at the boy. Slightly taller, red hair—evil green eyes—God, he hated him. He was as annoying as hell and could never find anything better to do besides bother him. He was called Roy, but the city named him Speedy for his rash actions he thought up without a proper plan—but somehow got away with them. He was one of the smaller enemies to Slade and something of a friend to Robin, but Roy always brought trouble his way…

"He's not my _dad_." Robin snapped, sitting on the edge of a tall building. Roy sat down beside him in his red jump suit, a bow and arrows strapped to his back. "And besides—shouldn't you be blowing something up?"

"Why does everyone assume that when I say hi? Can't I be normal for once?"

"Sure—define normal."

There was a roll of his eyes and he pulled out one of his arrows, adjusting the explosive end. "So…you look really banged up, kid. Slade beat you again?"

He cringed at the memory but nodded. "How'd ya guess?"

"The cut on the back of your neck and the bruise on the side of your throat. Looks like he tried to strangle you."

"'Tired' is the keyword—but I tried to bite him. I guess I deserved it…"

"You deserve nothing of what he dishes out at you…" Roy stared out at the dark city. It was going to be day soon and that meant Robin would have to sneak back inside. If Slade caught him out at this time he's get it even worse than before… "Why don't you just run?"

"And let him hurt the doctors?" He asked. He actually meant everyone else that was held captive by Slade. Slade seemed to ignore them a lot of the time when he was lecturing Robin or 'teaching him a lesson'. It was madness…but at least he took most of his attention away from the rest of the world. "I think not…"

"Well…maybe one day you can join my team, and then we'll get rid of the bastard one day altogether…That would be nice…"

"And you do know that the moment he gets his hands on you, he's going to tear your throat out. You destroy more of his robots than anyone else."

Roy laughed merrily, throwing his head back as the colourful sound echoed in the alleyway below. Robin suddenly worried that one of Slade's patrolling robots would hear them and come to investigate—reporting to Slade that Robin was out…

"Come on…" The talented eleven-year-old child coaxed, standing now with his hands on his hips like Peter Pan or the sort. "I know someone's beaten you into silence, but even I can see the defiance in your eyes behind the mask. What's up?"

"I dreamt about a future that should have happened, but was erased."

"How?"

"Because Slade from the future came back and delivered me to his younger self."

"He created a para-watcha-ma-call-it thingy?"

"A paradox?" He reminded him. That was exactly what it was. An event that no longer exists occurred and deleted itself from history. But time let that event slip past the normal boundaries and so it continued to the changed way.

As Jaze explained, time would do one of two things now: either A) it would create a future event that would lead to a change in the past to create another loop; or—the more reasonable of the two reasons—B) it would change it back the way it should have been…somehow…

How that would happen…Robin didn't know. All he knew was that he was going to go back in time to stop Slade from getting him—all with the help of Jaze's time watch.

That was exactly what he wanted to tell Roy, but he knew the older kid wouldn't understand a word of what he just said.

"Oops." Roy muttered, staring down into the alleyway. Robin stood instantly and back away from the edge of the building least someone saw him. "Slade-bots. I'll talk to you later, kiddo. Just get back unseen so you don't end up banged up again…"

Robin didn't need to be told twice. He spun around and sprinted toward the fire escape ladder on the other side of the building. He had an hour to get back before Slade checked up on him—Slade always checked up on him. It was like living in a prisoner-of-war camp…

-S-

His mind raced with probabilities and new ideas, plans on which what he would destroy or spare, on what he was going to change or create. So far that small boy had been nagging at the back of his head all day and he sighed quietly in relief when it came time to check up on him. Robin wasn't a late sleeper—and that made him dangerous. He couldn't be allowed to stay awake for long on his lonesome in case he started to formulate plots of his own.

It was amusing, for the most part.

His hand touched the knob of the door and he twisted it open. Inside it was dark, but the light from the hall revealed the boy asleep on his bed. He was resting beneath the quilt, his body bandaged up after the beating Slade presented him with. There was something going on…but Slade didn't dare beat any answers out of him. Enough was enough and not even Robin, at such a young age, could stand too much pressure. Another beating just might end up fatal and Slade wanted none of that.

Partially satisfied, Slade closed the door hastily and spun around on his heel before starting back off down the hall, this time toward the lad where Dr. Manning was still awake. He was always awake, never needing to sleep much with the aid of his strange powers. It worked out well on Slade's behalf, but it was also bothersome when he had to worry about what the doctor was up too.

Now he would know.

-J-

One thing he wasn't expecting this late at night was a visit. The other thing he did not expect was Slade just entering his lab quietly and standing off to the side to watch. John, working away at a bomb design, pretended he didn't notice the man until he had had enough of the creepy sensation of having someone watching you. It was enough to drive any man nuts, especially when it was Slade who was glaring at you.

"Can I help you?" The doctor offered as he slipped off a thick leather glove and placed his tools neatly to one side.

"Yes." Slade said in a deep menacing voice. He was glaring all right—"I want to know what you and the boy are up to."

"What ever do you mean?"

A hand shot up at his throat and began to squeeze it tightly before he could catch his breath. Slade was not the type of man you wanted to mess around with. "Just a short while ago you two had a silent conversation. What were you two talking about?"

"Nothing!" John answered with difficulty breathing. He was lying and Slade already knew that.

"If you don't tell me, I'll kill you." Slade hissed; every word serious and promising. "You have brains, John, but there are other geniuses out there that can finish the weapons you have created. Do not try my patience.

"It's not a plan." John gasped, thrown back suddenly by Slade. Able to breathe again, he gulped down air like water before continuing. "They're just past issues the boy never truly got over—like the death of his parents. He comes to talk in private about it."

It was a lie, but it made sense anyway—even to Slade. Robin wasn't going to talk to Wintergreen about his past, and he sure as heck wasn't going to discuss it with Slade. The madman should have put down those two variables by now…hopefully…

"Likely story…" Slade growled, but there was a tinge of curiousity in his voice. "That may be the case, but what _else _is going on behind the scenes, John. What are you and the boy going to do?"

Oh no…this wasn't good.

John began to back away as Slade slowly advanced. Slade was in the mood for a fight and he was as violent a man as anyone John had ever met. If Slade didn't hear what he wanted to hear soon, John was going to find himself six feet under soon.

Very soon.

-A-

My eyes are hurting, so I'm going to be now. I hope you guys liked what I have so far and I just wanted to answer a question. I know I haven't been updating Blast and Impromptu as often as I should be—and some of you are asking why I started Boogie Man when I have those to worry about. BM is a tribute to my little sister who has come across a major problem in her life right now, along with my older sister who is graduating from High School to become a chef. They asked me to write that one, so don't get angry if I update that more than I update Again and such. I'm sure you guys would have done the same for your family as well.

_Goodnight…or morning,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	40. Chapter sixteen: Complications

Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Alex: You people are so evil…Tormenting me day and night…When will it end—when will you think I have had enough!

Victor: O.o? What did they do to you?

Alex: Evil…

Victor: Just tell me what's up.

Alex: The enemy of my enemy is a friend of mine…I'm working on chapter four…

HINK! HINK! HINK!

Victor: (_Shocked_.) I though you were going to delete that story!

Alex: Too many people are asking me about it. I can't feed it to the fish until there's no one else to rat to the cops about it.

Victor: I see…

DISCLAIMER: Who owns them? Not me.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Complications

After his meeting with Roy, Robin took as long as he could to get back to his room before anyone would come to check up on him. He was so curious now…The urge to leave this place was stringer than before. If only…if only he could leave right now.

The idea to check up on the doctor came to mind and so he pondered on it as he sat on the edge of his bed. John was making that time-watch and soon it would be ready. Robin would go back in time to when Slade first came, stopping him from three-years-younger self. And if that didn't happen, who knew—maybe a lot of other horrible things wouldn't happen either. Maybe he would live the life he oddly dreamt about last night. It couldn't have all been a part of his imagination…It was all too real…

But still—Slade was there in that supposed future as well. How was he going to get rid of them man if he didn't even know now? He'd been with the man for approximately two or three years, and still he knew barely anything in the ways of his weaknesses. Slade kept so many secrets that Robin had yet to figure out…He'd probably discover them the moment before he died. That was just how lucky he was…

John earlier telling him to visit again to check the watch, Robin obeyed the suggestion and headed for his door. The camera out in the hall was still on, but he was allowed to be out by now. It was going to be dawn soon.

Talking quiet steps, he strolled down the hall toward the doctor's lab. It was deathly and that meant he was probably working his life away. Sometimes he got so caught up in his work he forgot to eat or sleep. Thank goodness he didn't forget to drink…

Robin, turning the doorknob to the lab, opened the door enough to fit through into the room and stepped inside. It was silent and he couldn't see the doctor. Well, with the tall pieces of machinery and all that, it was no wonder he couldn't. The doctor had to be at his main table in the center of the room.

"Dr. Manning?" Robin called out. He waited for a reply or a mental note from the man, but he heard nothing. Something was wrong…

Holding his tongue, he made his way around the machinery toward the center and looked around. Nothing. Dr. Manning was no where in sight.

This wasn't good.

"Why do you need to find him, Robin?"

Robin spun around, just noticing Slade now. The man was leaning against the far wall with his back, arms crossed over his chest and his entire figure hidden in shadows. It was that one eye that gave him away when a person stared directly at it.

He almost lost his mind right then and there, too shocked almost to speak. But through his experience with the man, he at least knew how to make up a quick decent lie.

Holding up his left hand, Robin showed him the bandage, torn and falling off. "I came to get this checked up. I can't do much with it busted up like this."

"One would suppose a person of your age would be more worried about the broken ribs than a sprained wrist. Right, Robin?"

"I can use my weapons whether or not I have a broken rib. I need my wrist in good shape to toss anything."

"True…" Slade pushed off the wall to stand straight and started toward Robin who, despite his fear, held his ground with a small frown as the villain loomed over him ominously. "But what fighting were you planning on doing. Nothing has come up as of lately and I thought you would want a break after the _lesson_ I taught you a short while ago. Is there something going on?"

"Only if you imagine it to." Robin shot back, trying to keep calm. He was doing rather well on acting brave, but how long did he have until he pushed one too many buttons.

Slade laughed and Robin tried hard not to shiver. He hated that sound. "Well then, I suppose you should return to your room then."

"And Dr. Manning?" He implied, never calling him by his first name when he talked to anyone else. Not many people knew the two were friends except for Slade and maybe Wintergreen. Wintergreen would talk with John when he had time off, seeing that the two were just followers of a man bent on destroying the peace of the world. Wintergreen didn't hit Robin at all, unless, of course, Robin attacked him—but that rarely happened. It was out of rage for the 'could-be' Wintergreen that handed him over to Slade that made Robin hate him in the beginning. After a while, he realized Wintergreen wasn't necessarily _evil_, so to speak.

"He's busy." Slade muttered, and motioned a hand toward the door. "And I will give you something to do soon if you don't leave—and should know by now that Dr. Manning doesn't have time for little boys to bother him. The next time something is on your mind, seek out Wintergreen or myself."

Maybe Wintergreen—but never Slade. Slade would bite off his head for some of the things he had to say…

Robin was in the mood for an argument, but his sore body begged to differ. Giving himself a break, Robin obeyed and returning to his room, listening and waiting for something to attack him on the way back. Perhaps Slade was on to him—he probably was. Why else would he have _confronted_ John right after Robin talked to him? And where exactly was John—what was he so busy at?

Good glory—Robin really wished Slade wasn't on to them…

-S-

"He came back."

"And?"

Slade frowned behind his mask, staring at the monitoring cameras hidden all over the city. There was a resistance—there always would be, and Roy the Archer was having a hay-day with his arrows and Slade robots. The boy disappeared after he took out a camera, and since then Wintergreen had been searching for him. So far no good—Roy was on Slade's death-list and the kid knew it. The moment he was caught…

"He didn't say anything." Slade answered. "He said he was there to talk to the doctor about some wounds, but I knew he was lying. He always tries to lie when he thinks he can get by me with it."

"Then why play along?"

"It's entertaining, and I'd like to see how good he gets before I can't tell between the truths and the lies. Lying is something I'll need him to do a lot of when he's older."

Wintergreen nodded, changing the monitoring cameras to search somewhere else in the city. It was swarmed with Slade's own robotic army, but there were still a ton of people living there. Gotham had no hope left.

"And what did you do to the doctor?"

Slade smiled. "He's busy."

"Doing what?"

"Thinking over the price of freedom and the consequences of getting caught."

"Do you plan to keep him alive?"

"Until he outlives his usefulness."

Slade waved his hand before Wintergreen could ask more questions. He didn't want to bother talking about that fool anymore—he would learn and then he would move on to more important things. Ever since Slade received that letter from a man seemingly like Wintergreen, he knew a great deal of things that would possibly happen in the future for the next five or so years. Not that much of it mattered anyway. Whoever the Teen Titans were _going_ to be since their supposed future leader was working for the other side.

Only if he learned that he was _stuck _on that side, maybe then Slade could leave his worries to rest. His own invention was taking far too long to finish and Robin was working fast. Slade was sure that if he hadn't locked Dr. Manning up, the trouble would hit him sooner rather than later. As long as he held all the cards, there wasn't much of anything to stress over…

For now, anyway…

-J-

He was in the so-called _basement_, bloody and broken to the point where he didn't know if he was still alive or drifting off into hell. What was he talking about—life and hell were one in the same! With Slade around anyway…

Sitting with his back against the far wall, John lifted his weak head and cringed in pain from the broken ribs. Anyone who crossed Slade on a bad day was always guaranteed a broken rib or two—regardless of your job or age. Just looking at Robin was proof enough. The boy had gone through a load's worth of hell through the last couple of years. Poor kid…

Little light streamed down into the dark, cold room from the small barred window above his head. He was alone—for now—and the cool breeze from outside gave him what little comfort he could have at the moment. The instant Slade or one of his robots came back, John was as good enough as dead unless he started talking.

Smiling, John gave off a small laugh. He didn't say a word—and it felt good. He defied Slade and actually made the man mad, quite the accomplishment when you thought about it. Not many people lived past the angry stage—unless you were Robin. That kid had bad luck…but when you considered who was plundering the world, the boy was also significantly lucky in other areas such as the death factor. As long as he didn't do something utterly horrible in Slade's eyes, he was in for a long life.

A long…_torturous_ life, but at least he had the power to do something about it. He was learning from Slade, after all, and one day the good student is always bound to defeat the teacher or die in failure.

Robin could handle it.

Richard could handle it.

There was a sound above him from the window above and the soft hissing of something eating away at metal. It wasn't long before one of the bars fell down in front of John and made a horribly loud clank against the floor. Luckily for him, the prison door was thick enough that you'd have to scream your bloody head off to be heard. That was Slade's intent too—making the prisoners scream loud enough that the other prisoners could hear them from their own cells. It was a way of shaking them up before they got their turn.

"Hey, John. It's it a little too chilly to be in the basement?"

John smiled and sighed in relief. God always came through for him in the end. "Hey, Roy." He laughed gently, barely audible as he fought for air in his broken chest. "What brings you here?"

"I heard from a little bird that you were treading on dangerous grounds, and came along to save you both from the aftermath in case you were caught. I'm guessing I was right?"

"That you are."

"Goodie—another brownie point for me, and one less for Slade."

The small boy, only slightly older than Robin, jumped down from the small window above and landed soundlessly on the ground before John in a catlike crouch. Robin must have taught him that.

"Ouch—what did you say to him?"

John laughed again. "Nothing—that's what."

Roy shrugged and whistled. A rope dropped down from the window above and hung close to John's head, someone moving around above him.

"You haven't seen the Green Lantern, have you?" Flash asked from above, obviously too old to fit through the bars. "And what of the kid?"

John sighed heavily, trying to think past the pain. "You're friend is supposed to be three doors down the hall on this side of the building. Robin…I don't know. I haven't seen him since he returned to his room."

"He came to see me tonight." Roy added as he started tying the rope around John. The doctor had no idea how they were going to move him, but he was glad they were going to try. "But then he returned so Slade's robots wouldn't get him. Do you think he's in trouble?"

"With Slade, he's always in trouble. But Slade knows the limits—I don't think he'll be in any immediate danger until he heals up a little."

Flash began talking to a few other men with him outside, and John heard soft running as they went to free some more prisoners…well, those that were alive anyway. Who could say how many of them were left to rot down in the cells.

But he was going to be free…Why, then, wasn't he happy. Oh yes—

Who was going to show Robin how to use the watch?

-A-

Alex: I know you guys have a lot of questions—a ton of you people are asking about the older Titans. You will get to see them soon when the LR meets up with them, so don't get all jumpy yet, and I know some of you asked me why Little Robin had that dream. It signifies that time itself has not been fulfilled and that a paradox may be created soon to correct the change in the past—_unless_…Little Robin can stop his life with Slade from happening. If you guys have anymore questions, please feel free to ask away.

Victor: And Alex will be keeping up with his other work as well, so just relax. Everything is on the workbench.

Alex: Besides that—have a wonderful day/night, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The answer to all your questions is coming soon…

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon,_

_And,_

_Victor Van Heiring_

PS: Victor: We watched the black and white horror movie "The Bat" on the weekend, and the main character's last name was Van Gordon, a woman who wrote horror/mystery stories.

Alex: I sweat that isn't where I got my Pen Name—that was just by a stroke of luck.

Victor: Creepy though, isn't it?


	41. Chapter seventeen: Past or future

Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Alex: Wow—can't believe I had a writer's block for this story. I had so much prepared for this story and then—wham! I lost one of the connection points, utterly lost in an unbreakable daze…Then my fever broke and I remembered what I was going to write. Sorry for the long wait people. I was also working on the Blast series, seeing that things are finally heating up.

DISCLAIMER: Read the one in the first chapter.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Past or future?

As sore and as scared as he was, Robin knew he couldn't give into his fear against Slade. The moment he heard Slade's heavy footsteps stalk down the hall past his door, Robin made a break for the lab. Reaching the large door, he picked at the lock above the knob and swiftly slid inside. Keeping the lights, he held his breath in hope that someone--or something, when you included Slade's robots—didn't see him, and waited absolutely still to listen for anyone in the hall. He knew he was going to get caught for this—but it had to be done.

Taking a deep breath at long last, Robin turned around and dashed into the darkness of the room for one of John's desk. Finding the right one, he checked the drawers blindly with shaky hands, heart drumming against the inside of his ribs. There was a sting of pain in his sprained wrist and an aching throb in his broken rib, but he ignored them. He was going to get it when Slade found out what he was doing.

Searching around frantically, his small hand finally closed around the watch. He ran his fingers over the many buttons just to double check and sighed, some of the horrendous weight riding in his chest released at once.

Then it returned.

Slade had taught him to give each of your five senses a good chance to prove themselves, and so Robin listened…he could hear it…footsteps—heavy and fast, not the even beat of robots. Slade had probably seen the camera footage of the lab by now and Robin was in for it.

Forcing himself to calm, he opened the door—pausing only to hear which end of the hall the person was coming from—and dashed down the hall at a mad dash. Although he was slower that Slade, Robin was faster than a lot of people and could manage a lead for a good while as long as he didn't trip or get sidetracked. As long as the adrenaline kept pumping, he could make it out of this alive.

The lights in the hall flickered on now and Robin glanced over his shoulder at his pursuer. Much to his surprise—it was Wintergreen.

"You won't want to go that way." Wintergreen called after him, not putting much effort into catching up to him. "Slade's waiting for you just around the corner."

Oh…that was just great. But why was Wintergreen helping him.

"Next door to your left, Richard—the window in there isn't locked." And with that, Wintergreen halted in his tracks, watching as Robin slowed…

"Excuse me?"

Wintergreen shook his head slowly in that wise way—the exact same way he shook it whenever Robin was acting foolish. "I'm giving you a head start, boy. It isn't exactly the most honorable thing in the world to chase a ten-year-old kid down. And you're right to think Slade will give you a good piece of mind once you're caught."

That stooped Robin in his tracks. He could continue running…the hall was long and he could think up of something as he ran, but…Wintergreen was an odd man. He sometimes did such things for the boy, maybe because of a past mistake. Although he was once a soldier who would have shot you without hesitation, the man had his morals.

That was why Robin turned to the door on his left and opened it slowly. It was dark inside…but the light from the large window on the far wall gave him hope. It wasn't barred like the other ones…and no one was in here…

There was a faint sound at the far end of the hall and Robin jumped.

"Hurry!" Wintergreen hissed and Robin closed the door behind him, fitting the watch around his wrist as he headed toward the window. Hesitantly, he unlocked the pin and…the window budged when he pulled on it, swinging upward into the room. It was at the main level and the coast was clear…

This was the best break he had had in three years.

There was the growing sound of heavy footsteps on the other side of the door and Robin quickly leapt out the window. He landed soundlessly on the grass beneath the window, crouching low and gazing around for robots. The only light came from a flickering lamp post along the far road, and he decided it would be the wrong move to go anywhere. There was the sound of motion around him and he suddenly wondered if he was going to be ambushed.

Biting his lower lip, Robin lifted his left wrist to his face and fiddled with the buttons. The digital screen switched on and it showed the current time, beneath that the current time again. It was the bottom time that changed, but Robin couldn't quite remember how to do that. There was a confusing mistake about the watch that John hadn't quiet yet fixed, and it was all because of the concepts of paradoxes. If there _had _been a paradox that occurred to change time, then going into the past just might take you to the future that should have been, or going into the future just might have taken you into the past that should have been.

It was all too confusing for a ten-year-old to understand.

There was a buzzing sound off to his left and one of Slade's robots stepped into the light of the street lamp. It's white eyes fixed on Robin and he began to panic as it started forward toward him, two other robots following close behind.

He was as good as dead.

He fiddled with the buttons again until he found one that changed the first of the many numbers. He didn't check to see what it was and didn't care—he just closed is eyes and waited for the familiar shock of the stunning lasers to knock him unconscious. Then he would wake up, heavily sedated, bound and gagged, listening to Slade's lecture before he beat him.

This was far from the first time he had ever tried to escape.

But that never happened…

-LR-

Opening one eye first…and then the other…he froze. One—where the heck was he—and two—_when_ the heck was he? Well…he was in a hall, but this one wasn't as long as the one in Slade's lair and they were warm, warm like they belonged in a house. There were doors along each side of the hall and names were written above them to say who rested where.

He looked to his left and stared at the name for a long time…Starfire…what a beautiful name. The girl was probably just as beautiful…but he didn't have the time to stand around to think happy thoughts. He had to figure out what was going on and how exactly he was going to save his time.

Running a hand through his hair, he started down the hall and came to large threshold—the main room of the building. It was colourful and warm in here, stylish in the teenaged kind of way.

It made Robin smile. He felt safe in this place.

Something moved in the hall and—panicking—he ran behind the counter near the kitchen and listened as the man entered. He walked to the end of the room and began to fiddle with what seemed to be a computer, his silhouette greatly defined by the outside light flooding in from the large windows. Robin dared only a brief glance and even then he thought he was imagining things. There was no possible way _he_ could have been there…could he?

Robin listened as the person stalked down the hall quietly. There was the soft hiss of a door and then silence after it closed.

Peeking around the corner, Robin narrowed his eyes in the darkness and squinted at the name on that door. It said…it said…

Robin?

Was he in the future? Was he in parallel dimension? What was going on?

The door hissed and Robin leaned back into the room slightly, still able to see around the corner. His breath caught in his chest when he saw who it was.

Slade…did he follow him? No—Robin knew there was only one watch that John created. He was going to create a second, but he never had the time. He barely had the time to make one…

The man turned the corner at the end of the hall and Robin quickly slipped to the room he left. The door hissed opened when he touched it and he stepped inside hastily. It was darker than the hall, and he stepped on what sounded like paper before his vision adjusted to the sudden plague of shadows. Someone was asleep in the bed, the steady rise and fall of their chest symbolizing a deep slumber.

Curious and scared, Robin stopped forward quietly, stopping next to the bed. Frozen again, he stared down at…himself. There he was—an older version of himself. He was still quiet young, but he wore the colourful costume from the circus and he was paler than himself. He was restless in his deep sleep—and then Robin noted the pills on the nightstand beside the bed.

_Damned if I do join Slade; damned if I don't_. He thought, but there was no doubt that this future self was happier where he was. Any place either than by Slade's side was happier than what Robin had to put up with.

He left the boy and started snooping again. He was actually looking for Slade, somehow sure that this was the future that should have been. Maybe it wasn't just luck that he came here—maybe he was supposed to stop something from happening. After all, didn't John once tell him that Time could heal itself? If something was truly supposed to happen, more twists would be added to the mix to counter whatever damage was done to the past or future. Maybe his coming here was one of those twists…

There was a noise and Robin began running quietly down the halls, He came to a halt when he saw another opened door and then listened as a small beeping was heard from inside. Standing close to the door, he heard the faint _click!_ of a lock undo and then the muffled _urch!_ as something heavy and metal was moved—possibly hinges to a door.

Moving to stand in the doorway, he watched Slade's back as the man stood at the far end of the room, a vault opened before him. As the man turned, Robin saw the watch he was putting on his left wrist…one that greatly resembled the one he had on his own wrist.

Slade paused, his one narrowing as he eyed Robin…then he laughed. "So I see…let me guess—you're Robin's younger self?"

"My name is Richard." Robin snarled; shoulders stiffening as he prepared for the worst. This would be hard…this was the original Slade that sentenced him to hell and he had no idea how he was going to stop him as an older, more experienced man. The one Robin had known for the last few years was younger...

"I must say, this is a very satisfying sight." Slade continued; a smile evident in his voice. "Knowing that I will be successful in taking Robin really made my day…_Richard_. And tell me—why exactly are you here?"

Robin's hands curled up into white knuckled fists. He hated it when Slade always thought he was the winner. "Why else but to stop you?"

"I see…still in rebellion. But by the looks of things, I'd say it really doesn't do you any good. Just look at yourself."

This was his chance…this was his one chance to stop Slade before he went into the past and captured his younger self. If that happened then the mercenary would take note that Robin would one day make it to the supposed future (whatever it was) and try to stop him. Then how long after that would Robin find his next chance to do as such?

"Doesn't matter." Robin said, taking up his fighting stance. "I'm gonna do the best I can do."

Slade looked quite amused and reached to his belt…taking out his bo-staff. Robin hated that thing—it always hurt more when he was sparring against Slade or taking a beating when Slade used his bo-staff. Of course, Robin didn't have one but he knew how to use it.

Okay, Richard—first step: unarm your opponent.

-A-

Everything is falling into place now and this story is drawing to a close soon. I don't know how many chapters I have left, but I assure that this story, which I have had so much with when writing, is coming to its end. Think about it—will Robin fail and allow the horrible future to continue, or is he Time's way of healing itself so things turn back to the way they should be?

I could choose either…

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	42. Chapter eighteen: Don't fall

Again

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Alex: Hi there, people. This story will be coming to an end soon, so I just wanted to warn you that there probably won't be another sequel, unless—for some odd reason—I get threatened too…

Victor: Reminds me of the threat mail you got.

Alex: Yes, I was meaning to address that issue—please, for the love of God, no more threats to drain my body of it's fluid, take out my organs while I'm alive, or castrate me—the first two will eventually kill me, but I don't think I can live with the third…You guys are so mean.

Victor: And no—you won't find that letter in the review box.

DISCLAIMER: Heavens forbid should I own such a wonderful thing…

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Don't fall…

"Perhaps...Perhaps this would be best fought outside."

Robin eyed him cautiously, trying to weigh out what he just said. Outside? "Why not in here? We have room."

"Yes...but we're not the only two people in here. Do you really want to prove how good you are against me, or do you want to wake the young heroes in this house. It would spoil all the fun..."

True... 

"Then where?" He snapped, trying not to sound curious. Overall, he actually was. "I don't even know where this place is." 

Slade laughed; his bo-staff shrinking as he replaced it to his belt. "The roof. It's flat and it was designed for training and other such things. If worst comes to worst for you, you could always attempt to push me off..."

He actually liked that idea.

Robin backed up into the hallway and stepped aside as Slade came strolling out from the room, hands behind his back in his usual manner. There was no fear to him, any worry or concern. He honestly thought he was going to win, Robin trailing after him warily as they reached an elevator. At first Robin decided it would be for the best if he let the man go first, but that would only aid in proving he was afraid. Instead, he puffed up his pride and took the elevator up with him, neither of the two opponents making eye contact.

Upon reaching the top, the two doors swung upon and they stepped out onto a vast roof. It was...wide...No wonder Slade wanted to fight there-- 

But the fall would be a nasty one.

Robin could see the sea from up there and the entire city. When was the last time he saw such a bright city without carnage or flames? He'd been in Gotham for so long, he'd forgotten what a bright city looked like...Then again, he had only been to Jump City once before, and that was when he was a lot younger than he was now, back in the days of the acrobat. It was a shock that he could remember such a place.

"Watch your step."

He turned his head back to Slade just as the man attacked; bo-staff back in his hand. He was ruthless when it came to fighting, so Robin had to grateful enough that he didn't beat the living daylights out of him when they were in the elevator together. Even Slade had honour.

The bo-staff came in three swift swings toward his face. Robin leaned back far enough to evade contact with the cruel metal, but simply leaning back put no real distance between him and Slade. It wasn't until Slade brought to staff back for a quick jab that Robin found time enough to attempt a backwards hand spring to ready himself, landing just close enough to grab the end of the staff when it came for his abdomen.

Slade paused. "Very good…When did you learn that?"

Robin twisted the staff in his hands and pulled it from Slade's grip. "You taught me that." He admitted sourly, but twirled the weapon to relax the feeling of it in his hands. "If there's only one weapon, make sure you're the one with it."

He could tell he was smiling. It didn't matter if he was winning or losing—Slade would either be happy to beat the youth, or proud that he had finally taught Robin and bent him under his will.

Robin really wanted to break that man's mask—face and all.

Giving it a final twirl, he released a small battle-cry and moved forward, a nice hit aimed for Slade's side. Instead of dodging, Slade blocked with the guards on his forearms, the sickening clack of metal against metal as Robin tried his best to aim a good blow. His chance finally came when Slade turned too far to the left and didn't have enough time to raise either arm to block a head-shot. It struck him on the right side of his face, turning his head far enough to break his neck.

And he did.

Robin gave the staff another twirl as he waited for Slade, the man cracking his neck back to normal and resting a hand on either side of his throat. Robin had seen him do that before and it still creeped him out to a degree—even more so because it usually upset the mercenary further.

"Nice hit." Slade commented, eye narrowing on the boy menacingly. "But what a vicious attack. Did you know I could do that, or were sincerely reaching the end of your fuse?"

Honestly—the first time he did that was when Slade ticked him off far enough to forget about morals and innocence. Slade had made sure the hit was intentional and that completed a second step to breaking Robin—but thereafter, the boy just broke his neck for the hell of it and usually ended up in worse trouble than what he started with. On odd days he would sometimes make it his aim to get in trouble. Then they would fight and Robin would have every reason in the world to break his neck again.

He was ready for a charging attack, but this Slade was somewhat different then the one he knew for so long. This Slade reached to his belt and produced three two-pronged stars, chucking them at Robin at break-neck speed. He had to admit, this attack caught him entirely off guard and, purely on reflex, he found he could only block the first two before the third caught him on the chest where his right shoulder connected to the rest of his body. It dug in between the ligaments and stayed there as he as stumbled back toward one edge of the roof.

Thank god for the balance he gained as an acrobat.

Biting back a cry, he dropped the staff which was currently in his right hand, and raised his hand to the star. His hand hovered above the weapon and wound, unsure whether or not to pull it out—he had always been told to keep it in order to lose less blood—but this goddamn hurt!

Blood seeped through the black material of his suit and leaked down his chest and back. The long blade that caught him was protruding from his back as well, the tip only visible as he glanced over his shoulder in pain. He winced when he dared to touch it, controlling his breathing as the pain escalated. His right arm was starting to numb and his vision began fading.

"Well, it appears as though you know how to take a hit." Slade complimented; hands behind his back now as he strolled forward. "I must admit, even as person such as myself would have expected even the slightest of tears from a boy your age. It appears taking you away from a different future did indeed perfect you…"

Robin glanced back over his shoulder, this time at the fall awaiting him if he were to fall. It would be a nasty end, but anything was better than this.

Slade reached him, extending a hand toward the star to pull it free,--but Robin had already steeled himself to do so. He took it from the wound in one quick pull, a cry of fury and pain escaping his lips as he aimed for Slade's wrist—catching him pleasantly off guard. It went straight through flesh, bone, muscle and…watch.

Slade recoiled with a gasp of pain, Robin weakening already. He felt so tired and paid no mind as he began falling backward….falling…

-R-

…falling…

And, of course, he fell out of bed, hitting his elbow on the nightstand as he dropped to the floor quilt, pillow, and all. He was breathing frantically and the instant he opened his eyes a hand shot out to his right shoulder in reaction to a phantom pain. As he had so dearly hoped for there was no blood and no wound, and he was still dressed the same way he always did as Robin.

Running a slightly shaky hand through his short spiky hair, he untangled himself from the quilt and stumbled out into the hall, racing for the elevator to take it to the roof. Once he reached the right level, he bolted out into the evening air and gazed around in the growing darkness…There wasn't anything there.

Licking his dry lips, he raced toward the edge and stared over. This side of the building was closer to the shore than the main entrance, a nasty fall to the rocks hidden beneath waves below if you were ever to accidentally fall. Whether or not you would be found was a different matter entirely.

"Are you alright?"

Right then and there he almost fell off the side of the building, circling his arms once to gain balance. Then he spun around so fast on his heel that he almost fell a second time, coming face to face with none other than Starfire.

"Friend Robin, are you alright?" She repeated, holding her hands in front of her in a worried manner. "You appear to be…uneasy. No?"

"I'm…" He scratched the back of his head and then placed a hand on her shoulder to ease her nerves. "I'm fine, Starfire. It was just a dream…"

This did not seem to convince her but, surprisingly, she didn't blame Robin in the least. "It is my fault you ate that pill. I should have never threatened to eat one myself."

"No—" He said quickly and guided her toward the elevator with him. "It was just some stupid dream. I was a little…wound-up, you know?"

"Wound-up…" She repeated, trying to make sense of the new word. But she said nothing more as they headed back inside the tower and into their rooms. But whether it was curiosity or worry, Robin couldn't tell, because he took out his communicator and called up Jaze immediately. Luckily for him, the doctor didn't sleep much at night, always preferring to use that time to work.

"_You're awake!" _Were the first two words that escaped his mouth, a look of bafflement crossing his human face.

Robin grinned. "Yeah…I guess I grew immune to that stuff. After all, Slade knocked me out with it I don't know how many times."

Jaze frowned in a disappointed way. _"Yeah, I guess too…Is that what you wanted to talk to me about? I don't think you would only call me to say hello…"_

The hard part.

"I had a dream. I dreamt of another life…"

-J-

As odd as it sounded, everything made sense. Robin told him everything he could remember from the eyes of his younger self, stuck in a situation that time had no intentions of having. It sound so weird…but the possibilities were endless. Who knew—maybe all that he said was true and it really happened—all corrected when 'Richard' destroyed the original watch.

Not a bad idea…

"Robin—would you break my watch in the morning?"

Robin gave him an odd look…but eventually nodded. _"I know it must be hard to say that. You spent so much time on something that would have taken the average genius decades to invent."_

"Yes…and even though it could be used for good, the probability to use is for worse is just as great—and that's already too much. Your small prediction makes more sense to me than the theory that the universe began in the Big Bang. Just think of all that could happen…"

"_But it felt so real…I could have sworn it happened."_

"Time can be careless…but go and rest. A dream is a dream and lately you have had your mind on troubling thoughts. That's probably what this all is."

"_Yeah…just my imagination playing tricks on me…Thanks, Jaze, and good night."_

"Good night."

He turned off the computer screen and sat back in his chair, arms crossed as he thought over all that Robin told him. It did seem pretty unlikely that that would happen, but the probability was too great. He was stuck in the dilemma that it did or did not occur—and what worried him worst was that he knew one thing that tipped the scales from one answer to another.

Robin couldn't dream with the drug he was taking.

-A-

Alex: I don't know if you guys remembered or not, but in the last story I mentioned Slade using that drug on Robin. If you remembered it, then Kudos to you.

Victor: So…it's over?

Alex:…I guess…

Victor: No!

Alex: I have a lot of stories to finish up too you know.

Victor: But you've managed so well so far. Come on…one more wouldn't hurt anyone…

Alex:…

_The End,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon,_

_And_

_Victor Van Heiring_


	43. BITTER BETRAYAL: C1: Not one, but two!

Bitter Betrayal

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Alex: (_Checking around…eyes shifting…_) Pst!...I'm back…

John: I GOT HIM TO WRITE A THIRD STORY!

Alex: Yes, special thanks to John for bugging the hell out of me until I agreed. You know, it takes time to think up of a decent plot…

John: Shut up and start writing.

Alex: Right—Oh, and keep in mind that the whole little Richard thing never happened because Richard stopped Slade…and all that jazz. The beginning takes place when Slade comes into the tower—but keep in mind that Robin woke up and contacted Jaze…This is where it leaves off…

DISCLAIMER: Sheesh—no already.

SUMMARY: Given the chance to get rid of Slade forever, Robin can't help but take advice from an old…friend…

CHAPTER ONE: Not one—but two!

The crumpled pieces of metal and wires fell from his hand as he brushed it off into the trash can in the evidence room. That was the end of the time watch—and hopefully the end of the watch.

The alarm went off and he was gone in a flash. He could think about the nightmare and the other possibility to his life later.

He was needed.

---

"What is it?" he asked, striding into the main room where the others were gathered. Vyborg was at the computer, leaning over the control panel as he typed up the information.

"Break out at the jail—Brother Blood."

That was…new…That was actually one of the last people he had expected to hear jumping out of jail. They went on high security for this guy, seeing that he had the mind controlling powers and all that…With him out, a lot of things were going to happen unless he was stopped ASAP.

"Do you know where he is?"

Raven shook her head, hovering right over Cyborg's left shoulder. "No idea—the report was actually sent to us twenty-four hours _after_ the break-in when the police figure out they couldn't find him on their own. And he didn't escape on his own…"

Probably Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo. They were possibly the only ones loyal enough to set their old Headmaster free from his imprisonment. Although, after suggesting the idea of changing all his students to cybernetic soldiers like Cyborg, who would want to help him?

This was a crazy world full of wonderfully crazy people…

"Great…he could be as far as the border for all we know." Robin muttered, stepping up to the computer and trying again with the tracking device. No luck—it was discovered planted on Brother Blood and shut off the instant he was a mile away from prison.

"Man…" Cyborg shook his head…and then he turned to robin, eyes pleading. "Do you think…I could lead this one? I man—Blood and I have a quiet war going on here."

Robin was shocked by the request. He really didn't want to say no to friend—and Cyborg did have a point, but obsessing over a certain criminal led Robin into enough trouble once before, and he didn't want to have a repeat happening to one of the people he fought to protect.

The screen suddenly went blank and it was replaced with a small shot of…no one. It was someone, but they were somewhere in the dark with nothing more than a silhouette visible…

"Uh…hello?" Beast Boy asked, ears perking up at the odd scene.

"_I need to speak with Robin…"_

All eyes turned on him…but what could he say? It wasn't often that Batman called him right out of the blue.

"_Alone."_

The others hesitated…but there was still the old debt of when he came along to help them find Robin. That and he was the founder of their group. Okay…so the list went on.

Without needing a sign from their leaders, the others left silently. Of course they were confused as to why there was a separate call fro Robin, but trying to get an answer out of the Dark Knight was like trying to start up a lively conversation with the dead. You just had to wait until he wanted to answer questions…

"Something wrong?"

"_Slade."_

Great…two major villains out on the loose within a day's time of each other. Coincidence? Maybe…or maybe not. It all depended on what exactly was happening.

"Where in Gotham."

He could tell Batman was smiling—even if slightly. It was evident in his voice. _"Where else?"_

But why Gotham?

"So—you want the others and I to come down and help out?" He asked. "We're kind of held up here as is. We have another villain out on the loose here and this one is potentially dangerous in the sense of brainwashing. I—"

"_Can leave your team to deal with him. I know you hold an old grudge with him and I know that you're one of only people who know at least something about him."_

That was true…but here he was doubting letting Cyborg head this case due to obsessive ness. Then again, if he did come along, this would work out for them…in a way.

"Let me talk to my team…" He said at last. "I'll see you in a couple of days."

"_No need. I'll come from you as soon as you call for me."_

Must have been important.

"Alright. Just give me a minute alone with them."

-St-

Robin leaving…wasn't exactly the happiest news she had heard in a while. And leaving to track down Slade….that was even worse—not to mention Brother Blood was going to wreck havoc for them all. Raven was as stoic as ever about it, shifting to the shadows in her own silent worries while Cyborg was ecstatic about leading the team for a few weeks—against his number one archnemises no less. Beast Boy…well, Raven pulled him aside to talk to him after he went through the "dude—you can't leave!" stage and then he was silent. Either Raven cowed him into shutting up or she told him something terribly important…

Her guess was the first of the two.

Standing in the doorway as he packed a few things—already having a load of his things still back in Gotham—Robin picked up his knap sack and fit it over his shoulder onto his back. Then he noticed Starfire and halted in his steps.

"Will you…be gone for long?"

Since this whole issue was concerning Slade, she knew it was a stupid question. But she couldn't help but ask…she wanted to hear him say he'd come back.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." He managed to say, rubbing her shoulder comfortingly. "You know I won't rest until I get this over and done with."

"No—please take the time to rest." She interrupted, blushing when he smiled softly. "It pains me to see you in such stress, and staying up so late night after night has done you no visible good."

"I'll...try…" And he hugged her—something unexpected and welcomed. She didn't say anything after that…and just waited in his arms as the tension eased and she closed her eyes in perfect happiness.

He said he would come back…She knew he would…

-BB-

So he wasn't a spy and he found it hard to be inconspicuous, but even Beast Boy could sneak around when he knew times were drastic. Raven told him that there would be hell to pay if Robin was, by chance or intention, caught in a one-on-one battle with Slade and that called for backup. But how could the Titans get from Jump City to Gotham in the same hour Robin needed them?

The plain answer was that it couldn't be done and that called on for a little stowaway to follow Robin and Batman all the way back to Gotham in case he or she was needed. Raven couldn't do it, knowing that she would have to assume command of the team in case Cyborg obsessed a little too much over Blood, Starfire was out for the count since she was over-emotional in cases, and Cyborg was stuck in Jump City leading the team. That left the little green changeling who could take the form of a spider and climb into Robin's knapsack when Starfire went to see him in his room. He was allowed to reveal himself to Robin, but only after he arrived in Gotham and only if Batman couldn't tell he was there.

Boy…that was going to be hard. Who could hide long from the Dark Knight himself?

Maybe he could manage.

Stuck in Robin's knapsack as a spider, he really had no idea what was going on until he felt the sudden jolt of moving faster than humanly possible, and his best guess from that was the fact that they were taking a jet or something…Yeah, didn't the guy have a jet or something like that? He was supposed to have some nifty car too, but it wasn't exactly a normal car….or well, maybe he'd find out when he got there.

And for the sake that he was as nervous as hell, he hoped the trip would be a short one.

-A-

Alex: Ha—short, I know, but this is more of an introduction than anything else. Just hold on and keep reading. You'll see what happens next…

Victor: Beast Boy dies!

Alex: O.o?...No. Where did that come from?

Victor: I'm just trying to confuse the crowd so you can shake them up a bit before the story starts.

Alex:…Well, the next chapter should be up soon. We'll see you guys in a while.

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

_And_

_Victor Van Heiring_


	44. Chapter two: Back to the beginning

Bitter Betrayal

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Hello! I'm alone without John for now, so I can actually think straight. I apologize for how crappily the last chapter was because it was actually written after three a.m. when I was still running off a caffeine pill (don't ask, but you should know that John was behind it). I would just like to warn you guys that my rating for this story might be**M: due to murder investigation in Gotham. The methods are brutal and may cause you distress**, although, you knowing me, I probably won't go into too much detail about it so don't start worrying.

So, without further ado—

DISCALIMER: You know—I know you do.

CHAPTER TWO: Back to the beginning

A Thrill-seeking serial killer wasn't too often in Gotham. People were used to the type of guys who were either there for a gang or a mob, or some type of guy who went mentally insane and had no apparent reason to go loco. About ninety percent of the serial murders in the city, recorded of course by the Dark Knight, consisted of Goal-oriented serial killers (those who sought out to rid the world of homosexuals or a certain type of people—generally being deemed genocidal by the police), Delusional serial killers (those who usually heard voices telling them to do what they do, sometimes promising recognition or the sense of pleasure through killing), or Domineering serial killers (those who murdered and hurt their victims for the sense of control and power). Sure, there was rape, thief, scandals, and all that jazz going on in Gotham, but when you took a good hard look at the Arkham Asylum, you couldn't help but agree that the city was filled up mostly of sociopaths. Okay, so maybe the bigger baddies like the Penguin and Ice Man and all that weren't exactly Serial Killers, more so crooks or Mass Murderers, but the rest of the guys filling the cells were the type of guys who went on a killer tangent.

A thrill-seeking kind of serial killer murdered for, well, the thrill. They were usually highly intelligent and moved around too often for the police to track them down. The way Bruce could tell it was a thrill-seeker by a just a few points:

First, the murders in this case were usually around two weeks apart.

Second, the victims were never murdered by a firearm, usually stabbed or bludgeoned to death since the murderer felt most of the thrill from using his or her own hands. A bullet to the body was too quick—too clean.

Third, the actual murders were bizarre, including such things as dismemberment or odd methods of keeping the victim alive while in pain.

The only other point suggested actually that the criminal could have been geographically stable—something that a thrill-seeker wasn't since he or she continuously moved around to avoid capture. This—and the fact that the actual murderer only attacked young males below the lower teenaged years, those of which who unfortunately possessed short black hair and blue eyes. This suggested actually a vengeful goal to the murderer, but who knew? There was no rule book saying that you could only fit into one category of serial-killers.

"Odd…" Robin murmured, reading through the files at Bruce's computer in the cave. Whoever this guy was, he had been busy—twelve bodies were already found, all on opposite sides of town.

"What is?" Batman asked, putting something away. They had only arrived back in Gotham an hour ago and Robin was already back at work. He hadn't even left the cave yet.

He shrugged. "I haven't dealt with a murder case in a while—I'm just worried I'll be a little rusty."

"You couldn't have been that bored in Jump City." Bruce replied, his voice as deep and serious as ever. No emotion whatsoever.

He wanted to agree. He wasn't exactly bored in Jump City—he usually had one hell of a time there. That and he didn't have to deal with the sick psychos here who gave every victim a lovingly long sad tale.

He won't over the profile again and sighed. It was fascinating—don't get him wrong, but…he could only wish such people didn't exist.

Wow…he was getting soft.

"So…" He spun around on the chair and stared at Batman across the room, hoping for something to keep his mind busy. "You never did exactly tell me how you knew Slade was in Gotham. Is it a hunch, or do you have concrete evidence?"

Taking off the cowl, Bruce raised an eyebrow but remained in his Batman persona, voice still low and dominant. "Did you think I would call you here unless I was sure?"

No…but it never hurt to ask, He was still hesitant about leaving Cyborg alone on this one. He trusted his friend, no doubt there, but still…obsessiveness was going to kill someone one of these days.

Bruce turned toward his own evidence room and Robin followed in silence. Upon entering, he froze and did a double-take.

One of Slade's commandoes was taken apart and tested on the work table, various weapons such as its laser guns and the old S shaped throwing star lay next to it.

That was enough to convince him.

"When did you get this?" he gaped, walking up to the broken robot and picking up one of the small pieces to its arm.

"Two days ago. A week before then I destroyed another one stealing from my company building."

Made sense. A lot of what Slade stole the last time was produced by Bruce's company. Why not move to the city where all the original, good stuff was invented?

The small beeping sound alerted them both, but Robin ignored it for the most part. There was something odd going on…he knew something was there in the puzzle but he was missing it. It was such an odd feeling, something he hadn't felt in a long time.

"Robin."

He turned around and saw Bruce slipping on his cowl. "You can check that out later."

Right…back here he was the silent side-kick whose job was to follow every command thrown at him and become the lighter side to the Dark Knight when he put on his murderous act against criminals. That was basically what he was—juts a splash of colour in the Bat's shadow so people wouldn't mistake him with a demon.

He felt like muttering a "fine" but back here Bruce was the man in charge and Robin would get one hell of a scolding if he put on the rebellious act. Well, he at least had to be grateful that Bruce was letting him deal with Slade. He had to thank the guy for that.

Shoving his proud and dominant side to the back of his mind, Robin took up the obedient soldier act and followed his mentor. After all, he'd only have to last until Slade was out of Gotham.

-C-

Leading a team was harder than most people thought it was. It was no wonder why Robin was always so uptight and stressed—the moment something was fixed something terribly wrong followed. It was like a chain reaction…one thing after another.

And the oddest part of it all was that Brother Blood took no part in any of it.

The man was gone to who-knows-where and nothing could be found on his whereabouts. The best thing the three remaining Titans could do was wait and see if anything came up, but that was unlikely. Blood was a proud and foolish fellow at times, but he was smart enough to skip town when he knew the hounds of hell would be on his trail.

"Anything yet?"

Raven, hunched over the control panel, gazed over her shoulder at him and straightened, rubbing a sore eye from spending endless nights doing research. Robin was the research guy. But Robin was stuck in Gotham.

"Nothing…" She sighed, sipping from a cup full of herbal tea. "Someone reported an odd sighting, but it was just a petty crook. Nothing about Blood has been reported…"

"He's hiding…" Cyborg muttered in the dark. "And he's planning something. If we don't find him soon…"

"Robin will come back if we need him."

"And what if he needs us?"

She smirked—a rare sight. "BB will inform us. That and Robin's mentor is there with him. I think the caped crusader can do a better job at crime-fighting than any of us."

"But don't you think this is a little odd? I mean, first Slade is in Gotham City, Blood is gone, and now my computer isn't working right. Someone was messing with the security system."

She paused, registering what he was saying. "You mean—someone broke in? Was anything taken?"

"Just the security system was a little jittered. Whatever they came here to get wasn't here…that, or they were hoping to get the watch."

But that was destroyed. Robin took care of it right after he talked to Jaze over the computer. Bad vibes were going around ever since the night they brought the new technology to the tower—Cyborg had this strange dream that he went back in time and saw Robin when he was younger…

"We just have to be patient." She reassured him, a hand on his shoulder for support. "Just give it time…"

Like Slade once said before—time was not on their side.

And you know something's wrong when you start quoting a villain.

-R-

It was the killer again. Another body was found in the alley way, another black haired blue eyed boy of eleven, and another brutal murder. There were slash marks on the child's chest and back, a stab wound in his right thigh from when he possibly tried to escape. Rope burns were around the child's wrists and ankles, strangle marks circling his neck. He didn't die, however, from lose of blood or suffocation. It was the harsh blow to the back of his head that did the trick and it wasn't just one. The killer didn't stop even after the child was dead, his face a bloody unidentifiable mess, almost about to fall off when the murderer dumped the body carelessly out in the middle of an alleyway. The homeless woman who reported the child was somehow off in a hysterical tangent as the police tried to question her.

Perched atop the roof overlooking the alleyway, Batman and Robin leaned forward slightly in silence to watch the police do what they did best (which wasn't much when you thought about it). No one saw them, but Bruce would be at risk when he snuck down to inspect the body briefly before anyone could spot him. Robin, as usual, was told to stay-put.

"Stay here." Came the gruff voice of his mentor and Robin frowned deeply as the Bat jumped down from his perch. He could stand it for a while—he was here for Slade and Slade alone. As long as he didn't end up in Gotham with Bruce forever, Robin would be just peachy with any order given to him.

And he so hoped that wasn't for long…

Watching as the Bat unnoticeably snuck up toward the body where the shadow stretched to conceal him, he began his work of taking samples and examining the wounds. Robin could actually care less for once in his life if he stood up here all night—the sound off to his right interested further.

Bruce should have learned by now that "Stay here" was a none-existent order in Robin's dictionary.

The small glint of metal and the eyes in the dark told him enough. When the tall figure turned around to face Robin he didn't have to look twice to recognize one of Slade's commandoes, something clutched tightly in its hand. It paused, as did he, staring at Robin as though it didn't know what to do. Perhaps it wasn't expecting to see the Boy Wonder in Gotham where he had left after bad terms with his surrogate father. Or perhaps it was trying to figure out why the Bat wasn't chasing him instead.

Robin could care less.

Whipping out his bo-staff, he took after the robot as it broke off at a fast pace to the other end of the roof. It jumped and he followed to the best of his ability—slowly catching up. He was almost there…just so close.

Reaching to his belt, he took out a birdarang with his free hand and took aim—

Before a batarang buzzed past his head and caught the robot on its back. The weapon exploded and took most of the robot with it as it fell, dropping what appeared to be a disk in its hand.

Enraged, he spun around and couldn't fight the adrenaline blocked up inside his chest. "What was that for! I was chasing him back to Slade!"

"With valuable information?" Batman enquired, an eyebrow raised behind the cowl as he smoothly strode past his ward toward the fallen thief. "A little risky, don't you think?"

True…but that was beside the point!

"You go ahead and protect Gotham from the regular psychopaths—Slade is my business."

"And Gotham is mine. I didn't call you here to take on this assignment alone."

"Then why am I here? If you can take on Slade alone, why did you bother calling me up and taking me away from my team when they need me?"

Batman turned around sharply, spinning on his heel and storming back to Robin. It scared the boy to see the Dark Knight looming over him but he was determined not to show it.

"I brought you here to rethink your actions—to take down this man with someone else to help you. Look at what your feud with him did—we thought you were dead! Do you enjoy having him chase him down, taunt you, mock you—try and take power over you like your some sort of mutt or inanimate object? Tell me—is it fun?"

He…wasn't used to Bruce exploding on him like that. Well, Bruce didn't exactly leave Jump City with a smile on his face after the whole issue when they thought robin was dead, but he didn't expect Bruce to be this worried.

"You know I'm here to stop him. That's all I want to do…" He stepped past Bruce and bent down to pick up the disk. Standing, he handed it over to the Dark Knight. "If you think I can't handle it, then maybe I shouldn't have come back here."

"You need to be here." Batman said bluntly. "It's just a way to get it over and done with. Going after him like a madman isn't going to do you any good, and ignoring him won't do you any better. You just have to learn to be…a little more patient."

Ha—where'd he hear that before? Famous words from someone on the opposite side of the game. If only Bruce knew…

"Let's go." He old mentor sighed after Robin said nothing. "We have another case to solve."

Somehow he wasn't too keen on hunting down a guy possessing the urge to kill boys with black hair and blue eyes. Fit his own description too snuggly…

-S-

So…he was finally in Gotham. He knew it was going to happen—everything was happening just as he had hoped it would. There was that old promise long ago that he made to Robin, saying to him that he would forget all about Robin if the boy strayed cleared of his plans. But Slade vowed that if he ever saw the boy again he would stop at nothing to take him back.

It would have been wiser to stay away from Gotham.

He had gone to Gotham a while after the incident with Jaze entering his mind, returning to Jump City briefly to a second hideout of his when he learned news about a time watch. Of course he infiltrated the tower to retrieve the watch, shutting off the alarm system with the main computer—but then Robin strolled right in to talk to Jaze, leaving shortly after to destroy the watch and Slade though it best to go. He could win the world another day—with or without time in his hands.

Setting Brother Blood free from jail was another part of his plan, but he only needed the man for one thing. The agreement—Blood helped him with a small part of his plan and Slade left Jump City to the Headmaster to take control over. Besides, Gotham had so much more to offer…

Watching the screens as his robot was destroyed, an argument between Robin and his surrogate father following shortly after, Slade had to smile behind his mask. Robin honestly had no idea what trouble he was in this very instance—he was in such danger that in a blink of an eye he could, without a doubt, be dead. But Slade didn't want him dead. Killing him would be a sign of weakness—giving up on a good thing just because the boy slipped through his grasp. It was too late for Robin to go back…

"What a foolish little boy you are, Robin…" Slade said in the darkness, eyeing the small figure on the screen. "A fool indeed…"

-A-

Yeah—Blood isn't too important, but I do need him for something. Don't worry—Cyborg ain't going to have much sun and glory in this fic, so just relax—and I didn't forget about B. Just hold onto your horses and let me write the next chapter. I have to figure out how to mend this all together, not to mention that I have to get over my reader's block for Blast.

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	45. Chapter three: Mystery

Bitter Betrayal

Alexnandru Van Gordon

You guys should know that I'll be taking this to a whole new level when you add a murder to a story. You might be surprised what I'm planning to write, but I'll leave you to your thoughts. Just by reading your reviews I can tell you'll be in for one hell of a kick in the face when I'm through with this (not that I intend to hurt you). Just move along…

DISCLAIMER: This is the last time I'm mentioning this in this story—NO!

CHAPTER THREE: Mystery

Falling asleep in Robin's knapsack wasn't exactly the best idea in the world. He had no idea how long he was in there until the Boy Wonder opened it with a sigh and tossed the bag onto his bed. That was when BB decided to creep out in his little old spider form and morph up to his usual height and size.

"Beast Boy!" His friend exclaimed, running to the door and slamming it shut. "What…what are you doing here?"

"Operation Emergency!" He shouted with pride, jumping down from Robin's bed. His room was rather large and he liked it. "Relax. It was Raven's idea, not mine."

That visibly calmed the Titan leader, but the stress remained. "He doesn't know you're here—he's going to send you back the moment he finds out."

"Why?"

"He has a secret identity you know."

"Come on—ha can't be that ticked off, and if I see him by accident—it's an accident!"

Robin gave him a look of warning, shaking his head slowly from side to side. "You haven't _seen_ him ticked off. He's—"

"_Richard?"_

Beast Boy's ears perked up at the new voice just outside the door, tilting his head to one side before he smiled. "Richard?" He snickered. "God—I'm gonna remember this."

"Shut up!" Robin hissed; panicking as Bruce worked the doorknob. "Quick—hide or something!"

He saluted—before morphing into a kitten and jumping into Robin's arms. It startled the boy but he kept a straight face as Bruce walked in, dressed as his normal self. The man eyed the cat suspiciously…before walking up and giving it a few strokes on the back of its head.

"You never did tell me when you snuck pets into the house." He sighed; a faint smile hidden with expertise. "Or did you just find Ebony and dyed her green?"

"Heh…" He forced a grin and threw the cat unceremoniously onto the bed, screeching as it flew. "Just followed me home I guess."

Bruce gave the cat a final glance, eyes still narrow with curiosity, before turning back to Robin. "Alfred is gone for the week, stuck in London with some family members. Turns out he's going to be a great uncle if all works out well. But get dressed into something normal and meet me downstairs in the dining room."

Beast Boy forced his stomach not to rumble. It had to be at least one a.m. and they were eating now? Damn, that made him hungry…

"Alright…" Robin stood still as Bruce left…and turned on Beast Boy. "I said hide! What's with the cute act?"

"You snuck kittens into the house?" He snickered, transforming back into his humanoid self. Rolling on his back, he grasped his stomach tightly as he laughed. "I—I can't believe this! You're like some sort of stone sergeant while this guy…dude—your name is Richard? And what's with this place? Your room is _huge_! Is he like your real father—are you related?"

"I was adopted…" He sighed. "After my parents died. We were acrobats."

"That I know—Jaze told us about that."

He shrugged, slipping off his mask as he moved toward a cabinet. "I figured as much." He muttered, turning his back to BB as he placed the mask on the shelf. Then he took a pair of sunglasses from the top shelf and slipped them on. "And he's…"

"Bruce Wayne—that billionaire dude?"

"Yep…one and only…"

He could sense the uneasy vibes coming off Robin—or was it Richard? Oh well. The Boy Wonder would tell him if he felt like telling him.

Robin shrugged off his boots as slid a pair of jeans over his suit, placing them back on after, a sweater over the top half after he undid the cape and tossed it onto the bed. His gloved followed the cape, but the belt remained hidden beneath the long baggy sweater.

"Expecting an attack?"

"With Slade, you never know."

"Yeah…but what am I supposed to do?" Beast Boy sat on the edge of the bed, swinging his legs back and forth as he realized how bored he would be.

"I have to eat—but I'll bring you something back." Robin offered as he walked toward the door. "I'm going for a ride tonight to see if I can find anything else on the murders or Slade's being here. You can…" He paused. "I don't know…sneak into my pocket as a mouse to escape 'Wayne Manor'."

It sounded good to him…as long as he ate, that is. He was starving…

-S-

Standing before his main computer screen, he typed up the next question.

"And the murders?"

"_He shows no interest in them."_

There was a long pause…and then he typed. "What of tonight? There was an argument…"

"_He shifts back into the relation. He is used to being ordered around—used to rebelling."_

'_Like I haven't already noticed…'_ He thought to himself. The child acted as though he was being dragged into hell when he was merely being offered a better future. It was the oddest thing in the world... "Anything else?"

"_I will keep watch, but I cannot guarantee a report. He takes after his mentor when it comes to slipping away unnoticed."_

"Very well…alert me immediately if anything should happen. And watch him closely. I doubt he will want to stay put when he knows I'm roaming around freely in his old home city."

"_As you wish…"_

No answer came thereafter and Slade switched the screen back to monitor mode. He had a few cameras on Wayne Manor from outside, but you could never be too sure…Robin wasn't going to ease up just because he was back with the Bat, his old master. But it was honestly weird seeing him show some sort of respect and obedience to a man he did so, to a degree, hate. The reason he left Gotham in the first place was due to the issue that his surrogate father was worried a partnership was too risky on his part. He worried and Robin could see where that was leading—to him getting fired.

In Slade's opinion, quitting the business then would have been wise. Now it was too late—now he had an evil mastermind hot on his trail, hell bent on perfecting him.

What a twisted world this is.

-J-

Vibes…Dr. Manning chose not to believe in them when he was younger, but after advancing his brain he noticed that his general intuition was usually right. He felt something was wrong and the feeling would cease to leave him in peace until he solved the problem.

Too bad that problem included the Teen Titans.

Leaving his office after the migraine refused to settle; he stormed off to the phone and called up the good old children trying to save the city one day at a time. He knew Blood was on the loose and that meant they were busy, but he had a bad feeling about all this.

"_Who is it that wishes to speak with the Teen Titans?"_

Starfire...sometimes the way she talked reminded him of Yoda or ET.

"It's Jaze. Can I talk to Robin for a moment?"

"_Oh—friend Jaze! How pleasant it is to hear from you!" _She squealed in delight. After all, she was still gracious he helped them in returning Robin. _"I am afraid that Robin is no longer here. Perhaps I can send a message to him from you?"_

"Not there?" That came across to him as a surprise. "Where exactly is he?"

"_The Gotham of City with his 'fa-ther', the one they call the Batman."_

"What is he doing there! I thought you guys had Brother Blood to worry about?"

"_Raven, Cyborg and I are searching for Blood. Robin and Beast Boy are in Gotham tracking down Slade—this time we are sure we can catch him. The Batman is there to help."_

Yeah, but did she know that Batman's obsessiveness over his old baddies almost got him and the ones he loved into trouble as well? What about the whole Joker issue—the Dark Knight sill was steaming over that clown after he killed his own folks. And was he expecting Robin to act like an adult about his own issue when his old father made the exact same mistakes?

Well…the Joker didn't want to recruit the Bat as an heir and apprentice like Slade wanted Robin…that would be Ra's al Ghul.

"Um…don't tell anyone, Star, but I think I might be taking a vacation to Gotham in a while."

"_Oh—I hear it is a very dangerous but prosperous place? Are you leaving for business?"_

"Yeah…actually, I am. I just want to surprise Robin."

Oh yeah—he'd be dropping in for a little unfinished business with Slade. Betting anything, Slade was behind his haywire intuition.

"_How glorious! Then I shall leave you to the task of packing."_

"Remember—hush-hush about this to everyone, Star."

"_Goodbye!"_

"Goodbye…" He hung up and stayed in the same spot for a long time. He wouldn't leave immediately—he still had his own work to deal with first, but as soon as he found the opportune time he would chase after Robin in Gotham. He knew the boy wasn't safe—all hell was sure to break out soon…He just knew it…

-R-

Another one…

He knelt in the dark alleyway and silently stared at child's face. Black hair…wide blue eyes…a trail of blood dribbled from the lips, still warm from a fresh kill. Once more familiar rope burns decorated the ankles and wrists, bruises along the child's arms and body, visible through the slashes on his jacket were a dagger made its mark. Deep gouges covered most of the boy's back, this one slightly older than the last—twelve, maybe thirteen years old. His chest was crush and his neck was snapped to the side at an odd angle, the sure cause of death—and it didn't happen through a fall. Someone actually grabbed the child by the throat and crushed the bone in the process of strangling him.

"Dude…this is what you deal with in Gotham?" Beast Boy squeaked from the shadows. It wouldn't be too long before the police arrived and Robin knew his time was limited before Bruce popped up as well. "Do people die all the time?"

"All the time…" He echoed quietly and stood as he heard the faint sound of sirens in the background. "Hm…we'd better leave."

"And what about…him?" Beast Boy gestured, referring to the dead boy.

"I have to leave him to the police and I can't touch him—not even Batman can unless we want to get in trouble. Besides, I didn't bring anything to examine the body with. Moving it would only worsen the case…"

BB shivered to himself, rubbing his arms before he morphed, taking flight into the air as a raven. Robin took one last look at the boy before turning away, heading for his old motorcycle…

And stopped when he saw _it_.

The robot was still at first…before kneeling down and placing a thing envelope on the ground. Then it took off, leaping so high in the air Robin had no chance of chasing after it as it landed on the roof. BB saw it and went after it, leaving Robin alone with the envelope.

Cautiously he stepped forward, kneeling to pick up the envelope. Carefully he opened it and slid the folded paper out, spreading it out to reveal a letter…

-A-

I think that's a lovely place to end it. I hope no one's scared, because if the whole murder scenes are frightening you, just send me an e-mail and I'll send you an edited copy of the update. Just as long as you still send a review, I don't mind…

**IMPORTANT: **By the way, I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I'm taking part in a **story challenge** presented by **Slade Wilson – Deathstroke**. If you want to read it, it will be posted under his account and is also being written by **Insaneiac the Maniac,** **Victor** (**Van Heiring**—my cousin), and **Rebel Aquarius**. We're marked by how many people review, so (I know I don't usually ask this) but could you just drop by and check it out? I'll tell you when it's up.

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	46. Chapter 4: Betrayed

Bitter Betrayal

Alexnandru Van Gordon

If anyone is wondering what happened to John, his Final Exams start sooner than mine do and he's gone to write them. I'm starting to write mine from next week Tuesday to the week after that Monday, so please don't be upset with me if I don't update for that time. I promise that I'll write a ton more during the summer to make up for what I miss out during Finals.

CHAPTER FOUR: Betrayed

_Welcome to Gotham, though I'm sure you know you are not as welcomed as you would have hoped to be. By all means—I have no problem there, but what of your mentor?_

_Just saying hello and hoping you a nice stay. It's a last-time warning to leave and you already know why, but, by all means, stay if you think you have a chance. Otherwise, I hope to see my apprentice again soon._

_-Slade_

He crumpled the paper in his fist and felt like throwing it away. But it was written in pen and if it was written in Slade's hand then maybe what he held was another step closer to finding out who he really was. He already knew a few things about him, already seeing his face, but perhaps if he learned more about his battling history he could devise a plan against him. That was really his only hope of defeating the man…and that seemed pretty hopeless. His only other hope was to catch the man—but that was just as unlikely.

"What are you doing here?"

The deep gruff voice startled him. In the good old days he would have rolled his eyes, but he had been gone for so long…one could only wonder how much rage was boiling up inside the man for Robin's taking off to Jump City. After all, it wasn't like Bats wanted him to leave in the first place.

And how did Slade know that.

"Patrolling." He replied bluntly, stating the obvious with a straight face. Turning around, he faced the man as the legend knelt before the dead child and looked over his body. The sirens were growing louder but they would have time to leave unnoticed. "And look at what I found."

"A dead body."

"Yay me." He sighed. "Same wounds, different death, different age—what do you think?"

"Same murderer."

"That's a given."

"Not a serial killer."

Robin paused, thinking over the facts… "How so?"

Batman stood, taking one last look at the body before turning to Robin. "You forgot already?"

Disappointment?

"Not quite. I know the timing is off—two bodies in one night. Serial killers usually give time between murders unless their caught, but the boys resemble each other and that suggest otherwise. But still…does one fact change the murderer."

"It does."

His mentor whipped past him into the darkness of the alleyway. The cop cars were screeching to a halt outside the mouth of the alley and they had to leave, sliding away into the shadows. He knew Slade had to be up to this…but it was too unlike Slade. Slade fought for power—fought to destroy. Why would he go on a serial killing fetish? It was too…_petty_ for a man like Slade.

"When were you planning on showing me this?"

Robin shook his head, caught up in his thoughts. Turning around he realized he should have been following Bruce into the alleyway. "What? The body?"

"No…_this_." His mentor held up the crumpled paper, the one Robin hadn't noticed being taken from his hand.

Before he could stop him, his father went ahead and began reading it, frowning deeply as he reached the ending part. Robin couldn't blame him. It upset him too…

The figure of his mentor remained calm and stoic, fooling anyone who would have thought him alright with the matter as he crushed the letter to a pebble in his fist. But, in reality, he was incensed and outraged and furious—it just took years of training to read the slight details to know his current emotions. This was the devil in a good mood while out on a murderous rampage. Watch out! whatever fools decided to attack Gotham this week…

No words were spoken. Bruce just spun around and strode off on his way home. Soon the sun would rise and the old and broken dynamic duo would switch to their society masks again like the gold and silver days. It was just like old times, though, wasn't it…and maybe it would all end the same too.

"Well?" Batman asked again, softer in a growl as he stopped. Robin, not too far behind halted again in surprise. "We're you ever planning on showing me this?"

He held the paper up so that Robin could see it visibly over the man's shoulder…and swallowed. No answer came and they just left in silence…

---

"Dude! That thing could run a million miles per hour and I still couldn't catch it—even as a cheetah!"

Robin rubbed his temples, sitting in his room by the window to watch the sun rise. Bruce was gone already, leaving for work a couple of hours after they arrived back at the Manor. Something about an important meeting…

"Sounded tough." He sighed, too tired to really make sense of anything going through his head. "And how far did you chase it before you lost track?"

"Where else? The docks."

That snapped Robin back to his sense and he turned his head sharply toward BB. The green changeling sat on the edge of Robin's bed, legs swinging over the edge idly.

"You sure?"

"Yep. He went into one of the warehouses and disappeared. I checked it out but, you know—found nothing. Not unless Slade's got some sort of cloaking device…"

That was something to consider—Slade using familiar hideouts to work behind the scenes. That would narrow his search gradually…but Slade was probably expecting that. He might have ordered his commando to lead BB off to the docks anyway…

"Thanks for going after it alone." He mumbled, feeling guilty for not helping his comrade in battle. "I'm sure you would have been able to catch him if you had help."

Beast Boy laughed. "Are you kidding me? I was actually relieved you didn't come. I think you need to focus on something else for a while, dude, or else this guy is going to scramble your brains."

Yeah…scramble his brains…not literally, but Robin was so confused he was just about ready to give up. He had a murder case to worry about and a lunatic to chase down—not to mention his surrogate father was enraged by the man hunting Robin. You couldn't communicate with Bruce when he was furious. All he saw was red, all he heard was nothing, and all he thought was "kill"…or something like that. Robin hadn't actually seen him kill someone intentionally before, but who knew? He'd been gone for a while after all, and he was sure his act of leaving got Bruce on his bad side for a long time.

Poor Alfred…wherever he was.

Robin shrugged off the worry and the confusion, laying his head against the window as he drifted off to sleep. Tonight, after patrol, he would confront Bruce…maybe that would work.

-Ra-

This was beginning to annoy her.

"Checked there…and there…and even there for God's sake! Where the hell is he?"

She tried her best to ignore Starfire and Cyborg as they argued at the computer. They had reached a conclusion, one they didn't want to admit, and that was that Brother Blood had left the city. There was no possible way he could hide unless he fell through the center of the earth to China. Why the police didn't inform them of his escape was beyond their understanding, but until he showed up on the news somewhere all the Titans could do was sit back and wait. It was a bruise on Cyborg's pride, seeing that he had been granted temporary leadership (something that might not happen again for a long time) and the one time he had a chance to take down a baddie on his lonesome, he couldn't do it. Last time he would have lost if it hadn't been for that whole spirit show…

"Maybe we should call up Robin?"

Cyborg paused and stared at Starfire, as did Raven. That would be the right thing to do…but Robin was stuck with Slade and everyone knew he wouldn't be willing to give up that chase in Gotham just because his tam was having trouble.

"Man! He'd never let me lead the team again. Besides, Robin is busy…we'll call him only if there's an emergency."

And that was the end of that.

-S-

"It's progressing too slowly. I want this done so I can begin the rest of my plans."

"Then ask away." Blood muttered. "I'm not exactly here for a chat. I want to get down to business just as much as you do."

Slade clenched his fists and unclenched them repeatedly, staring at the screens before he placed them behind his back and turned to face Blood. "_He_ was not supposed to be here."

Blood raised an eyebrow and stared at the recording of the green changeling. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and leaned against the wall with his back. "Adding an unwanted variable to the perfect equation can always be a thorn in the side. I suppose I can get rid of him…and what about your little Serial Killer? What about him?"

"He confronts Robin tonight after he thinks he's finished patrol. Though I enjoy this little game of tag, I can't wait forever to grab Robin. I have more important things to worry about now."

"Fine, fine…call him tonight and he will do as you say."

"Good." He snapped. He'd have to monitor the entire show…

-Unknown-

Arriving back late into the night, he hadn't expected the computer to be on with his "employer" calling him up. Deep inside he was fighting against the control, but it was no use. This man had him by the strings…

_What is it?_ He typed, sitting down before the large screen.

**Tonight. We want him tonight.**

_Dead or alive?_

**Alive—no other way…though you have permission to beat him within an inch his life.**

Deep inside he was screaming NO!...But what use was a thought if your body did what it did against your will? It was no use.

_Done._ He typed and the screen went blank...just as Robin walked into view.

-R-

"Something wrong?" He asked as Batman turned around and stared at him silently. His gaze was always kind of creepy, he could handle it, but as Bruce pulled back to cowl to stare Robin down as his other ego he knew something was wrong. There was conflict in his eyes…but more so malevolence. Now, robin had seen Bruce on the worst of his days and he knew how angry he could get, but this was a new look for his old mentor. This almost _wasn't_ his old mentor…

Or was he right about that too?

"………Bruce?"

Bruce said nothing, just reaching to his utility belt as he started forward. Robin didn't know what to say…this was so uncalled for. Of all the people he would imagine to suddenly turn violent on him, Bruce (next to Alfred) was the last person on the list. Maybe he was just fooling around, or testing him, or just too angry to think…

The batarang caught him by the shoulder and he backed up, hitting the wall with his shoulder blades. The cut was deep and he had to press his hand against the wound to stop the bleeding. It slipped past his fingers and down both arms, a small trail of betrayal from the person he trusted the most…And he couldn't even will himself to take up a defensive stance…

"Bruce…"

-B-

Every thought in his mind was against what he was doing. As he advanced on Robin, someone he could beat to death with or without any struggle at all, he could see the dread and horror in his eyes. Robin knew he was no match against his mentor but that was far from what was killing him—it was the disbelief and sorrow. No words could describe how betrayed the boy felt right now.

"Bruce…"

The name stirred something inside of him and he screamed inside his head to stop. He wanted to stop…honestly, he tried as hard as he could as the first punches were thrown and Robin struggled to keep up with the fight. How could he ever explain himself? He was supposed to be strong, an idle for his son, but this….this was too much.

Even when Robin fell and could barely stand he didn't stop. He stepped forward as Robin looked up at him and grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

"Bruce…" He moaned again. It did him no good besides the growing pain in Bruce's chest as he was lifted swiftly off the ground like a rag doll. He was beaten again and again and again…

…within an inch of his life.

-A-

I was actually going to leave you guessing for a little longer, but seeing that I might not write until Finals are over I decided to cut you some slack. I'll explain all the other details, like the Serial Killer thing and how Bruce got under Blood's control, but you have to give me time. I promise you will not be left hanging until the end of eternity…

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	47. Chapter five: Smile

Bitter Betrayal

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Alex: Okay—there is a day between each Final Exam I have and everything they gave us to study from I've read a thousand times over. I know that the Bilingual and Bicultural Commission of Canada was made in 1936 and that…you don't want to hear this.

John: Yeah…we're bored.

Alex: And I've been dying to write another chapter. Blast has been found and I'm working on it, but the thing I saved it to is being a _(censored)_ so it won't let me download anything. Just be a little more patient.

John: And we are so glad you liked the twist in the last chapter.

Alex: Oh—and stop swearing at me in the reviews. I get the picture and I appreciate it that you liked it so much, but my mom was reading over my shoulder when I was reading the reviews and, well…you get the picture. You people actually almost got me grounded.

CHAPTER FIVE: Smile

You know…he expected to be dead. Actually, scratch that—he _wanted_ to be dead. Robin wasn't the suicidal type and he sure as heck wouldn't go asking around for someone to shoot him down, but after the last straw was drawn…

He wanted yesterday back. Not just the yesterday where he was Batman's younger sidekick, fantasized at fighting crime and learning from the best detective/fighter out there in the world, but further back when he was still an acrobat. Don't get him wrong—he liked growing up with Bruce until they had their final argument, but he wanted nothing more than to return to the only people he could successfully trust for as long as they were on earth without _actually_ being betrayed. But now they were dead and he had might as well be too.

In truth, if he could go back into the past and change something, he wouldn't stop them from dying. That would be too cruel. No—instead he would die with them. There were days when he wondered how it would have been had he preformed with them anyway that net-less night when Zucco cut the wires. Right now was one of those times but he wasn't wondering—he was _wanting_. And you know what…he'd do it with a smile on his face too. Now he knew Slade was right about the whole friends and family baloney and he'd have to remember to say that to the guy \the next time they met—if they ever met.

Some time after getting knocked into the wall for the thousandth time God allowed him to pass out. In came the swooping darkness, which did so remind him of his old mentor, taking him off to a dulling cold which numbed the limbs and swiped the mind free of any thoughts. There he waited, and hoped, to die, but either there was no such thing as heaven or hell or he was still alive because nothing came for him besides the same dull darkness.

Then he woke in bed.

It was the strangest thing because, for a moment, he actually thought it had been a nightmare until he tried to sit up. His gloves, boots, cape, mask and shirt were gone, the lower half of his suit the only thing remaining on him. He could feel the tight bandage wound numerous times around his chest along with what was wrapped around his throat, arms and neck over the wounds. Even his eyes were blindfolded due to the gas from one of Batman's bombs he used near the end of the battle. The man used it every once in a while to temporarily blind an opponent for an hour or so. They could actually see again after an hour, but the eyes became extremely sensitive to even the faintest of lights and that caused both pain and confusion. Hence the blindfold…or was that there to compliment the bindings?

It was just like all the other times. When his friends thought he was insane from seeing Slade, they too strapped him down to the medic bed like he was tied down now…where?

The faint screech of a bat told him the answer to that. He was still in the cave on medic bed. Bruce and Robin had been on it a fair share of times when Dr. Lesley (possibly the only woman who knew about them) came along to operate on them in private. Robin had broken body parts loads of times, cutting himself up and getting poisoned (by Ivy), and not to mention the mess Bruce could get into after a night long battle against one of the bigger baddies.

But he really didn't feel comfortable and safe this time around.

He pulled at the straps holding his wrists to his sides, then the straps around his ankles. There was a third strap across his waist and one more across his chest and upper arms to keep him from sitting up, successfully pinning him down. Then, adding the pain, he knew there was no use in trying to escape. It was very much like the time he had fallen into the river, Slade waiting to grab him after he climbed the cliff side.

He'd be down for a while.

Something cold and wet touched his left shoulder where a wound was left unattended and he flinched out of habit from the feeling. It was a cloth soaked with ointment, cleaning the wound before it was to be dressed.

"Don't move." Came Batman's gruff voice, a growled warning that Robin found himself obeying. As much as he wanted to die, he realized that there was still much he had left to do before he could leave his loved ones alone in the world. There was no need to get Bruce angry before Robin could fight back efficiently…

"What are you doing?" He asked quietly, voice sore and hoarse, unable to raise even if he wanted it to. What was this? Beat the hell out of someone and then heal them up—for what reason? So he could beat Robin up again without killing him?

He should have stayed in Jump City.

"I don't understand…"

"You don't need to."

"I have the right to know."

"Since when? You're a sidekick, not a real leader."

Salt to the opened wound.

He would have retorted, but again he remembered who was desperately losing here. Him. Besides that, the sting wasn't as worse as he thought it would be. After having Bruce beat the tar out of him, not much of anything else could out betray what had just been done. This was not the man he knew and he no longer cared. As soon as he was in a better position, he would take him down and have him locked up where he could never hurt anyone else again.

And he'd do it with a smile.

The wound was dressed and Bruce walked away. What was strange was that there were footsteps echoing in the cave—coming from the other direction. His first guess would have been Beast Boy, but Beast Boy was light of weight and his footsteps were fainter. These belonged to someone taller and more muscular…someone else he wanted to kill…

-S-

People thought they could defeat him—thought that they could take him down with one go and lock him up forever…or kill him…whichever one came first. But if they knew all that he did behind the scenes, they wouldn't be so bold as to try anything stupid like attempt to defeat him. The Titans…were children and they could get away with that, but even they were a little foolish to think that he was fair game for their level. Look—even now he had the Dark Knight of Gotham under his control.

The Bat walked up the stairs to the main floor of his mansion, leaving Robin alone with his worst enemy. Robin must have known…he grew terribly still and listened carefully, defining the other person in the room from the sound of the footsteps. He was that good…

"Comfy?"

"What the hell do you want?"

Quick and to the business.

"You already know."

"Oh yay…Then what is the rest of this all about?"

"Hm?" He stopped beside the medic table and stared down at the blindfolded patient. "All about what?"

"_Him_. You've—"

"—done nothing." He finished for the boy. "He doesn't even know I'm here"

'Then how do you know to be here?"

"Tracked you. There was dust on the letter if you hadn't noticed." He explained. "And I came here…waiting for a while in the dark until _he_ was done beating you. Honestly, Robin—you put on the best charade of all. You had me fooled with the whole friendship fetish going on with everyone. Or was that little battle a sign of affection?"

No answer came….he was expecting some sort of comeback but, then again, people change. Maybe it was possible to confuse the brightest of minds.

"Haven't you anything to say about this? Nothing?—Nothing at all?"

"You were right…"

That was sweet—unexpected at such a soon time, but very sweet to the taste. That was something he had been waiting to hear for a long time.

"Just kill me and be done with it."

Slade laughed silently to himself and leaned over him to unbuckle the straps. This stirred more confusion in the Boy Wonder, but he said nothing until he sat up sideways on the bed and lifted the blindfold slightly to see just beneath it, the cloth shadowing his eyes from what little light was in the cave.

"What are you doing?" Robin asked rudely, jumping down weakly from the bed and frowning (from what Slade could see) at the man. "What's make you think I don't suspect you from being behind all this?"

"Have your thoughts—they belong solely to you. But how exactly would I control your mentor? I haven't even met him before."

"What about Blood?"

"What about him?"

"You know what I mean."

He shrugged, playing his game already. "All I've heard of him is what's over the news. It was surprising to see you leave that tin man in charge against a man like Blood."

"He can handle."

"Really?...We'll see. But Blood is their problem. What does he want tha concerns your mentor?"

"Nothing—that's where you come in."

It was so amusing to see him attach everything together, getting right at each step. But even now the slightest bit of uncertainty would win Slade the war and Robin was going to have a lot of that after what happened to him.

"You seem so sure of your accusations." Slade sighed, crossing his arms as he stared down the boy. "And what of your mentor? Hasn't he trained his mind for years? Surely if a bunch of you foolish children can slip past Blood control, your surrogate father can stay within the realms of his own reality—mind wise of course. Ever consider that?"

…Robin's jaw set and he leaned back against the medic bed. Slade wanted to see his eyes but that was near impossible with the light and the blindfold. He already knew what his eyes looked like, but he could tell so much more than by just reading his body language. Robin hid his eyes for a reason.

"…What do you want."

"Stop asking that question." He replied. "It's beginning to annoy me."

"Not in General, but now. Why are you bothering me now?"

He smiled behind his mask. "Just dropping by to say hello...I think we're going for a ride."

-J-

The buzzing sensation in the back of his skull was really starting to annoy him now, and strangely Robin was still on his mind.

Leaning back in his desk chair, sighing into the silence of his home office, he crossed his arms behind his head and stared up at the rood. What the heck was the kid doing now? The buzz had been there for a long time now and it usually only happened when danger was heading Jaze's way. But what if that changed now that he had been mingling through a person's entire mind? It didn't seem to happen back when they all believed Robin was dead…Why now?

Suddenly his computer began to beep and the screen turned on by itself. He had it connected to the Titans communicators just incase something happened that would be of interest to him. Boy was he surprised to see that the message was being sent solely to him.

"_Uh…hi, Jaze."_

He barely had time to transforms before the picture of Beast Boy cleared up so that both sides could see, but the static must have been from the long distance between them.

"How can I help you, Beast Boy?" He asked, sitting back again in his chair in a relaxed manner. "A little late for a day call, don't you think. Just about one a.m here."

"_Um…I tried calling up Robin but he won't answer his communicator, and then I tried the tower but…we have pretty weak signals—so I called you. You see…I'm kinda…lost…and I have no idea where the heck I am…Can you send me a map or something_?"

"Do you know where you are?"

"_Um…I'm sitting on the roof of a building and…the building across the street is called Gotham City Hall."_

"Hold on. I'll forward you a map. And tell Robin I'm coming to visit in a while. There's something we need to talk about."

"_Cool! Dude, I'll tell him as soon as I find him."_

Well, at least now he knew he could keep a tab on him through his friend BB. That was…somewhat reassuring.

-A-

Alex: Huzzah—another one finished. Just hold on…it might get better…it depends on your point of view.

Victor: Whatever.

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

_And_

_Victor Van Heiring_


	48. Chapter six: Change of view

Bitter Betrayal

Alexnandru Van Gordon

I think I need to find a new theme for writing. Raven and Terra I hate with a passion (sorry to all you fans out there), not too many people are interested in Cyborg, Starfire is hard to understand, and Beast Boy…well, maybe I'll try Beast Boy. Then there's the issue about what villain to use because there's really only one really good cruel one to use (and you know who he is). Maybe I'll have to invent another one, but I can't have this one turn into a neutral like Jaze…Darn. Any ideas, because, as you've noticed, all my stories are R vs. S. If you're getting sick of that, please tell me and I thank those of you who have already mentioned that.

CHAPTER SIX: Change of view

Against all better judgment, he followed him. No matter how hard he was screaming inside his head to attack his archnemesis something told him to give him a break. After all, what exactly was he going to tell—or show—him?

They were outside in the citing, jumping buildings to the more run-down area. Robin was always a little behind but that was due to the fact that he could keep Slade in his view at all times. It was a wonder that he could even jump at all. The wounds he received earlier were really doing a number on his body…

Slade stopped at the edge of one building and casually jumped down into the alleyway below. Robin had to slide down the fire escape ladder, but he made it down all the same.

"What is it?" He asked.

Slade raised a hand for silence and motioned for him to follow. Leading him to the corner of the alleyway, he paused just there and waited fro Robin to peer into the next alley—

Something black swiftly fled into the shadows, not quite noticing either the man or the boy as they watched. Whoever it was they were gone, but their handy-work was left behind.

Robin ran to the boy's side and knelt to feel for a pulse. It was too late. The boy was already dead and beyond any hope of being brought back, slashed and beaten as all the rest were. But who would do such a thing? Surely only someone with a ton of pent up rage would ever…

He stood up and backed away quickly, eyes pinned on the boy.

"Go ahead, Robin. Take a closer look at the wounds."

"I can't touch the body." He replied, taking a deep breathe to calm down.

"Yes you can—you have every right to find out the truth…Or is it the fear for the truth that keeps you at bay?"

If anything at all—weakness was not one of his stronger traits.

Steeling himself for what he might find, he came back to the boy and knelt beside his body to better insect the wounds. There was an odd edge to whatever cut him, the rope marks from something other than regular rope.

He froze…and slowly took two things for his belt. The first was a birdarang and the second was his grappling hook. Unravel a small length from the grappling hook, eh recognized the same size for the jump cord. And as for the birdarang, the edge would have fit perfectly if modified more toward Batman's batarangs…

Everything he had was modeled after that which his old mentor created.

"I don't believe this!" He yelled, spinning around sharply as he stood to face Slade in the shadows. "You set him up—"

"Why? Was it I who beat you within an inch of your life?"

"He—"

"And how long have these murders been going on for? I've only been here a week."

"You—"

"Go ahead!" Slade interrupted for the final time, gesturing down the dark alley where the attacker fled. "Go see for yourself. If you're such a great detective, then I dare you to find out the truth about your father."

"_He's not my father_!"

There was a moment of silence.

Robin didn't actually mean to say that. Of course Bruce was not his real father and all that…but he used to be something of the sort. Before Robin left for Jump City, they had gone through the worst couple of months he ever had the honour of living. In just a few months they grew more distant from one another than a living man might have become with a dead acquaintance. There were times were they would go weeks without saying anything to each other before Robin actually left. He would often correct people when they referred to Bruce as his father…it was just habit now to say it.

"I see…" Slade murmured. "Then go…find whatever you will about the murderer."

He licked his dry lips and turned down the alleyway at a run to catch up with the fiend. But what was he going to do if he found out he was right? Was he going to try and arrest Bruce, fight him, leave him alone…kill him?...

-S-

He watched the boy leave and stayed where he was for a long time in deep thought. He really didn't need to do much more now that doubt had settled itself nicely inside Robin's chest. Things would fall into place on their own now. He just had to be there to pick them up and place them back together after all was said and done.

If he wasn't going to get Jump City, then maybe Gotham would do for now…

-BB-

Jaze's map helped, but when he found Wayne Manor he also found no one home. It was dark and silent inside, just the annoying tick tock of the clocks audible in the mansion. It was nice and all…but it was creepy. No wonder the Bat liked it.

Speaking of which, what happened to him and Boy Wonder? Of course, he didn't want to get in trouble with Bruce if he was suddenly discovered, but he had to find Robin. What was really freaking him out what that his animal senses were kicking in, the scent of fear and rage heavy in the air—he almost gagged. Then there were the scents of people…Bruce, Robin…and Slade?

He froze and took another look around where he stood, the main entrance which he entered into as a spider through the crack under the door. Nothing could be heard but he was picking up another scent…something familiar but not familiar enough for him to put a face to it…For all he knew it could have been—

"_EEK!"_

"What? Eek? Is that the best you can do? I was expecting something a little less human coming from you…"

He just stood in shock and slight horror as he stared Brother Blood in the eyes, the red and silver cyborg strolling down the grand stairs toward the main entrance without a care in the world. Hands folded neatly behind his back, he stopped on the third last stair and looked BB over for a moment as though evaluating another student.

"Odd seeing you here. I thought Robin would have taken someone a little more…serious with him to deal with Slade. It's always the last one you expect in the movies…"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Was all he could think of to say, gaping at the sight of the man. "Cyborg is looking for you in Jump City. Dude, that's so unfair…"

"Really? Do they think I'm still there?"

"Don't know. Maybe…well, they're still looking for you so they must."

"Hmmm…" Then he shook his head. "And why exactly am I talking casually with you?"

"Because we really have no fight between us."

"True…" He brought his hands to his front, one arm crossing over his chest as he rested his other elbow on it and tapped his chin with his fingers. "Well, I guess it never hurt to get another student."

"What?" He gave him an odd look, not quite knowing what to do. Cyborg and Robin were head-strong when it came to fighting major baddies, Raven and Starfire considerate and contemplative. But BB…Well, he was just a confused guy who winged it to the best of his ability…whatever that was…

"No worries." Blood smiled, reaching both hands out toward BB with the palms facing the boy. "It'll only take a sec—no pain whatsoever if you don't try to fight it."

"_EEK!_" He transformed into a cat and scrammed into the other room as Blood's eyes began to glow.

The man growled in irritation. "Is 'eek' all you ever say? At least the others have better come-backs…" Then he started after the boy, hands casually behind his back again as they began their game of cat and mouse… "Really, even silence would be better than that…"

-B-

He didn't know what it was, but something led him to the docks. There he stayed, waiting…but for what?

He was answered shortly when he heard something behind him, spinning around to find Robin staring at him. He could barely read the boy's face with so many emotions playing along it—but most noticeable was the pain and disbelief again, rage and fury like nothing the boy had probably ever felt before. It didn't look good with such a colourful young boy who was happy to be alive and strived to preserve the peace and justice of the world. It almost made him look like a villain…

The urge to explain everything came again, but his voice and body had other ideas. He was only grateful he was ordered not to kill Robin…in doing so he would also be killing a part of himself.

"I can't believe I ever trusted you..." The boy began; voice deep and menacing in a growl.

_Please don't trust me now—just run!_

"Beating me was one thing—I could have just left and forgotten about that, but…all those children? _How could you_ _murder them_! I…I don't understand. You suffered injustice when you were younger, fought to preserve it, and then you turn on it like it had never mattered to you in the first place. You know, there were times when I thought you were mental, but this just proves my point. There _is_ something wrong with you…"

"Go home, Richard." He grumbled, not out of his own free will or with his own choice of words. His brain was just playing off what it was programmed to do—betray Robin and make him feel as horrible and as little as he most possible could.

"No, Bruce, I'm taking you to jail…" He said softly, as though the rage was gone and replaced but eventual sorrow. "You can come easy or you can come hard…"

-R-

He really couldn't believe he had just said that—to Bruce no less, but this was what it had all come too. He couldn't kill Bruce—not only was it against his morals, but the old Bruce was still somewhere inside of him. This Bruce…had been changed. As much as he would love to stick with the theory of Brother Blood being behind it all, he had no proof whatsoever—not even a clue to show whether or not Bruce was really hypnotized. Surely not him. He was too strong in mind as well as body.

"You're welcome to try, Robin."

No more Richard and Bruce. This was just Robin and the Bat…or, what the Bat once was anyway…

No time left to speak; he whipped his bo-staff out from his belt just as the batarangs came soaring at his face. Both were deflected but circled back toward Batman to catch for reuse, _whisping_ through the air before he caught them. Then he threw them again, these slightly higher as they spiraled in the air. Robin had to move aside when these came, twirling his staff to knock them off. But as he turned to do so, they came back behind him and struck him both between the shoulder blades before clanking to the ground. If they had hit him right when being thrown they would have stabbed him, but after zooming around in the air for a while they lost their momentum.

Bo-staff in on hand, he reached to his belt with his other and tossed a freeze-bomb Batman's way. This almost caught him off guard but erupted on the ground where the Bat stood just as he flipped forward over the newly forming ice, cutting the distance between him and Robin in half. Then he came with his fists and feet, hitting Robin and his bo-staff each in turn as the boy tried to defend himself. Walking backward, Robin tripped on a stray board and almost fell, catching a kick to the jaw as he tried to regain balance. This aided the fall and he eventually landed on his back, rolling to his side when the Dark Knight's heel came down on the ground just to his left. It broke the board he fell on in two; a wicked reminded of what would happen should he fail.

Pushing up onto his feet, he flipped backwards without his bo-staff to avoid the next set of kicks. When he finally stood upright he tried a few punches of his own, a round-house making its mark in the end on Bruce's jaw. The stronger man moved slightly with the blow but showed no sign of pain or weakness when he turned back instantly and grabbed Robin by the front of his shirt and his belt. Twisting around with Robin now on his back, Batman through Robin down the pier further to the water. He would have fallen in to if it hadn't been for the grooves in the wood that he grabbed onto.

Standing in an instant, he danced aside as Bruce came at him again. New wounds adding to the painfully old ones, Robin had to admit that he was in no shape to be fighting. Maybe if he waited a few days or so his plan would have worked but instead he ran into blindly from his fury and rage. Ribs aching immensely, he gasped as he continued to dodge without countering or trying to hit back on his own. It wouldn't be long before the caped crusader won.

And Robin knew he was going to win.

He was right. A kick finally caught Robin unexpectedly on the left side of his ribs and sent him flying off the edge of the pier toward the water. He landed before he could scream or shout, taking water into his lunges before air. The act caused him to choke, struggling to discharge the water and inhale air but as he tried to swim his limbs protested and a new pain erupted in his chest. The ribs couldn't handle it anymore and the already broken bones were starting to weight down on him. He tried to swim, but a single stroke caused him agony as the pain again. Every time he tried to swim it only ended with him sinking further…not that he wasn't already sinking.

In the dark of the night he began to drown…slowly slipping further into the darkness as he stared up at the surface of the rippling water, a hand outstretched as though praying for someone to catch it as he closed his weary eyes.

As he passed out…someone did.

-S-

Climbing up onto one of the other docks, Robin over his shoulder, he laid the boy down on the ground and knelt beside him. No pulse and no breath, he knew Robin was as good as dead but he still placed the palm of his left hand over the sternum and began to press down hard enough to restart the heart. Luckily for him, it only took a few compressions.

-R-

Pain before and pain after, something crushing his chest. Spitting up water, ribs and sternum breaking, as the hand came down a final time and he woke from near-death, rolling onto his side. That had been the first—and hopefully the last—time he had even drowned…what a horrible experience.

"God…" He moaned, coughing up more of the water as he unsuccessfully ignored the immense pain. He had no idea how he was still breathing. His chest was crushed…

Laughing brought him back to reality and he recognized it as that of someone he thought was his enemy. "I'm guessing your God doesn't want you dead. One way or another, fate always twists to save you."

_So it does_. He thought. That was it. Now he was going to literally kill Bruce the moment he could walk again…if he would ever walk again.

"You look upset." Slade continued, amused by the scene. "Why is that? Are you more upset about almost dying or the fact that I was right?"

"Both." He coughed, trying to sit up. All he could do, however, was lie there on his back as his world slowly fixed itself into focus. What he needed was an ambulance…but that would do him no good. The moment he got to the hospital he would be found out as Richard Grayson and then Bruce would be too…wait, what did he care about Bruce getting caught or not? Anyhow, he couldn't risk himself either. He had too many enemies from his past that would take advantage of it, save for Slade who already knew that jazz…

"Believe me now?"

He didn't want to say it and he knew he didn't have to. The answer was as clear as crystal now. Bruce had just…cracked.

"And this…" Slade gestured to Robin's chest, still knelt on one knee beside him. "You _owe_ me…"

"…I suppose I do." He coughed again and tried to stay still. He was shivering from the cold night air, soaked from head to toe, and every time he shuddered he hurt even worse. How was he even going to live this through? "What….do you want?"

"I think you know that."

"….So…I do…"

-A-

Does anyone know what the heck a "hit" is? It's on the status screen in your account page. Are those warnings for if your story is underrated or anything like that? Oh well…anyhow, I made this nice and long because all my finals are in the afternoon. I go to school early in the morning with John and my older sister (they write in the morning) and I find so much time to write…unless I'm studying…Well, the challenge story John, Insaneiac, Rebel-Aquarius and I are writing will be out soon. It's called **Cages of the Lost** and if you like **_ANGST/ACTION/ADVENTURE_** stories, you'll have a hay day with that one.

Okay, I have to leave now to find John…somewhere…wherever he is. He should be done his Social Final, that's all I know. Math and Science after that and then I'll be free for summer…so close yet so far…

(Oh—**Slade Wilson – Deathstroke**, if you're reading this, the answer to your riddle is Macbeth right after Lady Macbeth dies.)

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	49. Chapter seven: Worry

Bitter Betrayal

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Hello people. Been busy with Cages of the Lost so sorry if I left you hanging….Anyway, Monday is my last Final Exam and then I'm free like all of you! Free until mid September! Yeah!

CHAPTER SEVEN: Worry

Going with his intuition, Jaze planned a couples days off from work to see what the hell was going on in Gotham. Why would Robin even go there in the first place? Jaze always thought that he still had the feud against good old Bats because of some bullet wound from the Joker. Betrayal, hurt, distrust—all of that led to Robin leaving the city in the first place and sure, he was probably a little grateful for dad to come along and help his friends when they thought he was dead, but the pride remained. It had to be something big…unless they were going to mend their old wounds…

If they were just mending wounds, BB wouldn't have tagged along. And the important thing…Jaze guessed was Slade. He was still out on the loose somewhere. Possibly Gotham…which was his guess anyway. Either that or Jump city, but the news hadn't seen any of him ever since the last incident. Could be him…should be him…

He shook his head as he made his way up the stairs to Wayne Manor. From what he collected in Robin's memories, he was the adopted son of Bruce Wayne who also just happened to be his mentor, the dark Knight of Gotham City. It made sense anyway, but when no one answered the knocking on the two large doors, Jaze couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Did the man have servants or helping hands for the place?

"I see…" He whispered to himself and gazed over his shoulder for watchers. Keeping an eye out for anyone who would see him, Jaze slowly slipped into his illusive form, coat, hat scarf and all. Then, knowing that he was as safe as any other villain, he shifted into the goopy shadow form he preferred to use and slid under the door without much trouble at all. Once inside, he shifted back into a humanoid form and adjusted his trench coat as he took a few steps forward.

"Hello?" He called for the hell of it. If someone attacked he could defend himself, and if there was just a bunch of people in there then the worst they could do was call the police.

There was the high-pitch squeal of a mouse and he found himself jumping back a step when it darted out from the living room toward his feet. Just as he noticed it was green, the creature morphed back into the original shape of Beast Boy and the kid embraced him tightly.

"Dude! You have the best timing in the world!"

"I do?" he asked in confusion, once more breathing when the boy released his bear-like grip. "Why? What's going on?"

"_Visitors?"_

Both Jaze and the boy paused briefly…suddenly spinning to face the living room when a tall man stood. Thin and wiser with age, a cybernetic man similar to Cyborg before the two with his hands folded neatly behind his back. Honestly though…he looked like someone from the news.

Oh yes—Brother Blood, the ex-Headmaster of the HIVE academy for young criminals…wasn't he supposed to be in Jump City?

"Don't believe I've met you before…" Blood continued, eyeing Jaze with a frown of concern. "I think Slade mentioned something about you possibly, but I'm lost as to who you are."

"No need for introductions—" He snapped, raising a bandaged hand to face the man palm-forward. It seemed to confuse him at first until he noticed the ends of the bandage slightly unravel and move about like snakes. "—I was never good with first impressions anyway!"

The ribbon came as it always did, feeding off an endless source from up Jaze's sleeve as it shot toward the man and tried to tie him up. A ribbon latched onto his right wrist, another around his left knee before Jaze grabbed the ribbon hard in his hand and pulled with all his might. Blood, on the other hand, was not a newbie to any form of attack and pulled back with just as much strength as he braced his feet on the ground. Aiming his arm canon, he grinned as it warmed up with a whine.

"Uh-uh." Beast Boy muttered. "No you don't.—" And he leapt toward Blood, shifting into the form of a tiger just before making contact. He caught him in the chest and forced him to the ground on his back, ribbon snapping at the sudden change of weight. Jaze was caught off balance by this but kept his footing as he watched the changeling tear at the man's face with a newfound strength. He couldn't quite understand why he had been in such a panic just before Jaze arrived, unless—

Beast Boy was thrown up into the air and in Jaze's general direction by a mysterious force waving across the room. It emitted from Blood's hand and a second one came as he stood, grinning at Jaze. This one caught Jaze in the chest and sent him slamming into the doors, flying along with Beast Boy, who transformed back, onto the front lawn. Blood came out after them but didn't exactly come after "them". Instead, he took off at a sprint across the lawn toward a small forest of to the side.

"Why do villains have to always be so odd?" Jaze muttered as he stood, brushing himself off. Beast Boy was already on his feet, morphing into the form of a cheetah as he started after the man.

Well…day one and there was already adventure…

-S-

The boy passed out shortly after the small rescue from the pain and old injuries. But the game had to continue.

Instead of taking him to his hide-out, he took Robin back to Wayne Manor, setting him down on the operation table in the cave his mentor created. Then, seeing that he couldn't leave the boy in the state that he was already, roamed around the house in search of a personal phone-book. There was no doubt that the Bat would have a house doctor in case something ever happened to him in battle and Slade was right. He called up some Doctor Leslie and left the receiving hanging off the side of the desk as a woman answered. Surely she would get the message from that little clue.

With one last look at Wayne Manor as he left, hands folded neatly behind his mask, he couldn't help but smile. Robin was going to do everything on his own now. There was no more need for Slade to pester him in the right direction.

-St-

"Perhaps we should call Robin now?" She begged quietly, eyes sore from staying up all night, patrolling the streets in search of Brother Blood. There had been other break-ins and robberies, all faltered by the three Titans who were in no mood for petty thieves. Cyborg, of course, was till in denial that they needed their true leader, but then again—Robin was possibly busy.

"_Can't, Star. Rob's probably up to his neck in work. Gotham has more crime than we do by a tenfold."_

Starfire sighed at Cyborg's reply through the communicator, staring down at the crowded streets as she flew above. It was almost noon and she had next to no sleep in the last couple of days. "And what of friend Beast Boy? Should we not keep him posted and check to see if he is alright?"

"_Tried already. I could try through the Bat's computer to talk to Robin or Beast Boy, but that would blow BB's cover. And besides, the communicators don't work at such a long distance. All you can get is static."_

"Perhaps if I flew out from the city I could pass a call. Is this acceptable?"

"_I guess…but wait a little longer and try in the afternoon when it's Raven trun to patrol the skies. Sound good to you, Star?"_

"...Yes…it is, friend Cyborg."

"_Thanks."_

The communicator clicked off and she sighed again. There was a growing dread in the pit of her stomach that either Brother Blood was tormenting someone out there in the world, or maybe that Slade was behind it all. They never did catch him last time…

-J-

Covered in mud from head to toe, he and Beast Boy trudged their way back through the forest to Wayne Manor. Blood was one hell of a runner. And not only that, Bruce Wayne had one hell of a forest. It was a wonder that he kept it around. Who knew what was living in that lagoon…

They were both surprised when they reached the grand doors to the entrance and a car pulled up in the driveway. He always thought the place was empty…but maybe he was wrong.

A woman stepped out from the driver's seat and he recognized her at once.

"Leslie?"

She paused, eyeing both of them curiously as she slowly closed her car door, black bag in hand. "Do I know you?"

Stupid him, he was still in his Jaze form.

"No….ahem, can we help you?" He asked, trying to pass aside the little slip up. He remembered her from medical school. She was a good friend of the family, especially to his deceased wife.

"I got a call." She said, running up the steps toward the doors, knocking—and jumping back when she felt no resistance. "No one would answer so I assumed that something had happened."

That was odd indeed.

Pushing the doors opened, they ran inside and followed the woman as she strode to the living-room. Behind a tall grandfather clock was a door and through this she led them down into a cave. It was odd, but Jaze already knew about it from Robin's memories. It was one thing to know about something through memories, but another to actually be there and see the things the person saw…

Finally, at the end of the curving stairs, Jaze spotted Robin, bloody and beaten, lying on a metal table on the far end of the cave. He was, seemingly, either dead or unconscious. Jaze couldn't tell from this distance.

Panicking, he shifted into his shadow mode and slithered to the other end of the cave quickly, reaching him first and checking his pulse at the throat. It was there, strong and even as ever, but one could have been fooled by the boy's appearance. He was soaking wet and looked to have been through hell.

"Dude…what happened to him?"

"Don't know…" the doctor muttered, lifting his shirt gently where a small stain of blood had dried. It was one of the oldest wounds and in the gash was embedded something. "A clue…" She said and opened her bag, pulling out some tweezers. Very gently, she took the small black piece from his wound ad examined it closely. "What on earth…"

It was long and curved on one sharp edge, the other curved inwards more times to almost appear as a…

"Looks like a bat wing." Beast Boy said aloud, staring closely at the object. "But I thought only Batman had those…"

"He does…" Jaze muttered. But that couldn't be right. Batman wouldn't attack his own son…would he? Jaze only really knew what Robin knew and that had nothing to do with much of Bruce's past. You had to admit, he was just as crazy—if not crazier—than Jaze, so who knew what he was capable of? He had, after all, killed before, even if unintentionally…

"Perhaps he dropped one in battle and the enemy picked it up?" beast Boy suggested hopefully. Not many people were willing to admit that the Bat had snapped.

The answer actually seemed to relax both doctors and they sighed in unison. That had to be the case and that said it all. Batman dropped it, someone else picked it up, and chucked it at Boy Wonder. How could they even think that the Bat turned on his own son?

Then who did this to him, and where was the bat anyway?

"_What are you doing in here?"_ Demanded a harsh voice from behind them. They spun around as one and stared at the Dark Knight at the top of the stairs, not looking too pleased at them being there.

Speak of the devil…

-B-

The moment he got a hold of whoever was making him do this, he would keep a mental note to do everything to them that they made him do to Robin. Even now, as he strode down the stairs to the small group of visitors, he tried his best to say something of his own accord. But, as usual, it was hopeless. His body was under absolute control.

Hovering over the group like an angry storm cloud, his eyes scanned over Robin before they locked with Leslie's.

"We found him like this." She explained, turning back to her bag to empty it of its contents on another nearby table. "Someone gave your kid a good beating tonight."

"So I can see…" He grumbled. In truth, he could have never been happier. Robin was alive—after being beaten a second time and being thrown out to sea, he survived. Maybe he had help, but still. By the way his chest was looking it must have been hard to stay alive. Who knew what pain he was in or would be in when he woke?

_I'm so sorry, Richard…_

The man, Jaze as he recalled him, picked up a piece of his batarang which lay next to Robin on the metal table. "We found this. Did you drop one?"

Taking it into his own hand, he looked it over. It must have been from Robin's first beating…bloody little thing…

"Must have." He muttered. "How long will this take, doctor?"

"Give me an hour or so." Leslie sighed, taking out some rubbing alcohol. "I have to clean his wounds, wrap up that chest of his and stitch up some of these nasty cut. If he wears turtle neck and jeans for a couple of weeks, no one should notice the marks, but I suggest he stays in bed for the duration of that time. Looks like Robin isn't going to be doing anything important for a while…"

"He's a tough kid." He said and stared at the boy. Guilt was such a hard thing to live with. Once Robin woke up he would tell them everything and Bruce would be locked up where he couldn't hurt anyone else. Actually, he was wishing for it. After killing all those boys that resembled Richard, how could he live with himself?

"I'll help you…" Jaze offered, grabbing a few things for Leslie. It was then that Bruce noticed the little green changeling sniffing the air around him.

"Seen Slade lately?" The kid asked. "Smells as though you've been near him."

"Saw him, chased him, failed to catch him." He answered. It would have been much better to tell the truth but that was far from his grasp at the moment.

"Oh—and a guy named Brother Blood was in your house. Did you know that?"

"No, but I'll keep an eye out for him.

"Wanna help us catch him."

"I have Slade and a murder case to investigate. I don't have the time."

The boy's ears drooped. "Darn…"

"What are you doing here anyway?"

The boy froze…slowly rubbing the back of his head. "Um…I can to check up on Robin. We were just worried about him, that's all."

Well, wasn't that just great. If Slade knew then the kid would be as good as dead. The guy wanted no one in the way….

Bruce only hoped he wouldn't end up being the one to do the honors…

-A-

I write my Science Final tomorrow and then its summer vacation at long last! I was so happy that I decided to write another chapter for you guys. Oh—and Victor will be back soon. He just has more exams then I do because he's in grade eleven while I'm just getting out of ten.

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	50. Chapter eight:Discovery

Bitter Betrayal

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Alex: Don't…want…to….write…So I'm sorry if I've been gone for so long.

Victor: And, aside, there was the challenge we're still working on.

Alex: But we're finished finals. My science one was so bad that, after the three hours of writing, they just cancelled it altogether. All that studying just kind of pushed aside all my motivation for writing and all my excitement for the new ideas that I lost the will to go on…But Victor doesn't believe in quitters and he won't stop slipping caffeine pills into my tea until I got back into writing. Here's a bog round of applause for my cousin. He saved my stories.

Victor: Thank you so very much.

Alex: Okay…now how do I do this again…..

CHAPTER EIGHT: (Oh yeah…) Discovery

Starfire didn't like to lie and she hated it when other people tried it too. Lying only led to hurt and she could prove that from everything she had ever experienced: Robin lied to them about Slade and that led to him becoming his temporary (though it had been intended to be permanent) apprentice; Terra lied about Slade and she ended up getting turned to stone; Blackfire lied about coming to earth to see her and that ended…a heck of a lot worse than anyone wanted to. In the end, lying was never a good thing…

And she knew she would suffer for going against her own morals.

Earlier she had asked Cyborg if it was alright for her to fly out of the city to try contacting Robin. She did leave the city and she did have her communicator with her…but she wasn't going to stay. She was leaving for Gotham City and Raven, most surprisingly, was flying alongside her. The darker woman assured her that Cyborg could handle Jump all on his own, seeing that his rage to find brother Blood was doing most of the fighting anyway. She was…_checking up_ on Beast Boy, but Starfire noted the air of worry about her and the slight sickness that came with being away from someone for too long—she knew; she had been feeling it as well. And even though Raven didn't want to admit that she missed the annoying green changeling, she wasn't afraid to admit she was checking up on _him_ rather then Robin.

Love was such an odd thing.

Finding Gotham was no problem at all. Half way out of Jump City the trackers on their communicators shifted back on and all they had to do was follow the little red blinking light. Not to mention Gotham itself was a large mass of buildings on the horizon itself. It maybe took them, at the least, half an hour to get there at top speed.

"What do you think our friends will say when they see us?" Starfire whispered quietly; afraid Robin might be upset that she followed him to his old territory. She landed with Raven on the roof of a tall skyscraper and stared off into the distance as the sun began to rise…What would _he_ say?

"Doesn't matter. They're taking too long."

Go figure. Only she would be able to come up with an answer like that.

"Do you think they have come close to catching Slade?"

Raven shook her head, almost rolling her eyes. "Unlikely. Maybe they're closer to catching him then they were in Jump City because batman is helping—_if_ he is helping…Robin takes pride in doing things on his own, and I heard he and the Dark Knight separated on bad terms.

"What does it mean to be _'on bad terms'_?"

"Means that they had a fight."

"Oh…" That didn't sound too pleasant. "So…then Robin is brave enough to do the fighting against the elders of his blood."

"They're not related by blood. Robin parents died when he was little."

Now they tell her…and how did Raven know anyway?...Probably when she went inside his mind. That was the only sense Starfire could make out of it.

"Well…we'd better get going." Raven sighed, held tilted to one side as the sun finally rose all the way over the building tops. "Let's just hurry before we have to recharge our communicators."

-R-

Waking up was almost like hell. How were you supposed to wake up when you felt like you were broad-sided by a freight train? Not easily, that's for sure. He almost felt like passing out again but he had work to do and the first thing of that was to stop Bruce…wherever he was…

Opening his eyes, he forced himself to sit up halfway, propped up on his elbows. It was then that he realized he was back at the batcave, stomach lurching with dread when he wondered how he had gotten there. But his wounds were cared for again, his shirt off somewhere unknown. Heavy ointment clouded his vision momentarily when he took a good whiff of it in and he suddenly recognized the type of bandage wrapping tied entirely around his chest and stomach.

"It's not all mine." Jaze said quickly, off to the left just out of his sight before stepping closer to the operation table. "That lady doctor friend of yours couldn't find enough around here. She didn't even have enough in her bag."

True, Robin's arms, neck, and legs just below the knees were wound up with the stuff. Everything of his suit was off besides pants, and just about all skin showing was covered up aside from toes face and fingers. How the hell was he supposed to walk?

"Crutches?"

"Quit reading my mind."

Jaze shrugged, pushing Robin down to lie again with a hand on his chest. "Hold still buddy. You have too many broken ribs."

"Sue me."

"…Sure…but after your friend sees you?"

Robin's eyes widened. "Beast Boy? He's here—he's alright."

"Relax kid. He's up with the bats."

Jaze whistled and the bats up above began to rustle about, screeching every now and again as they resettled themselves. A small green own came swooping down and landed just a few feet away from Jaze before morphing back into Beast Boy and running to Robin's side. It was good to see a friend again.

"Dude! Your bats are the best! They've got all this cool stuff to tell me about when you were little. I never knew you had pets…that bat guy doesn't look like an animal liker."

"Bat guy?" Robin sat up again, fully this time and hissed from the immense pain in his chest. "He saw you?"

"Yep, and really didn't care either. Looked more worried about you though."

Robin refused to believe it—he knew Batman was just trying to act along so he wouldn't get into trouble. But now Robin could tell.

Eyes turning sharply on Jaze when he tried to force him into lying again, he shot out the initial question of. "Haven't you read his mind yet?"

Taken by surprise, the man gave him an odd look. "…No…Why would I? He's your mentor after all."

"He's been killing all those kids." Robin explained, sliding off the table to stand—almost falling due to the sheer pain. "And he's the one who did this too me—I don't know why but—"

"Whoa…" Jaze put his hand against Robin's mouth and held one of his arms to keep him from falling. "What kids? That Serial case that just started up in Gotham."

"Yes, and—"

"Relax kid. I don't think it's your old man…besides, that doctor lady just said that the side-affects of the medication we gave you might make you hallucinate a bit. Did it ever occur to you that it was a nightmare?"

"Does it look like I did this too myself!" He explained, outraged that everything was backfiring on him again.

Jaze looked him over. "You're mentor said you were out on patrol…."

Robin noted the disbelief in Jaze's voice. Maybe he did have a chance.

"Please. Jaze…you have to believe me…"

"Brother Blood is in town." Beast Boy spoke up, trying to defend his leader as best he could. "Does that help?"

Jaze hesitated… "He controls minds…doesn't he?"

"Yep. Evil weird dude who ran an academy for villains. If you weren't there by will, he brainwashed you…"

Jaze didn't say anything…he was staring at the floor. Robin knew what was going on—the first time he saw Slade in Gotham he had the general idea what was going on. Blood was controlling Bruce for Slade…but for what purpose? It couldn't be just to get at him, could it?

"I'll be right back " Jaze muttered, taking off toward the save stairs. There was a determined set to his posture and even with the bandage around his face you could tell he was frowning. Eyes glowing slightly redder for the briefest of moments, Robin could only guess what he was going to do…

-J-

When he first ran into the Titans he was a criminal. A plain old criminal. He dove straight into Robin's mind and saw everything through force, and he really didn't care at the moment that it was against Robin's will. After he got to know the kids that changed…and he hesitated more so on reading someone's memories. Reading their current thoughts caused no pain or damage, but memories did a hell of a lot worse. When he zipped into Slade's mind, that wasn't such a criminal act. Even then it ended on the bad side, him seeing everything Slade knew and thought, and then vise versa where Slade knew all about Jaze. Twice was bad…but somehow he willed himself to do it a third time.

Now.

Slipping upstairs, he used what he collected from his memories to hunt down the second place Bruce would work on a case if not in the cave. That just so happened to be his main floor office which was left unlocked now that the man was in there.

He opened the door and stepped inside, noting the many papers spread all over the desk and wall, a small television turned on in the corner that showed the news.

"…_the robbery happened late last night, but wasn't noticed until seven am this morning. Aside from that, the Gotham Police Department has yet to discover who is behind the serial killings of your male Caucasian boys. So far there have been nine victims, all murdered around forty-eight hours from each other. Police say…"_

Jaze already knew about the murders. That was exactly what prompted him to leave for Gotham sooner then he first intended.

He watched the man who stood by the desk, back to the door, until he turned and heard Jaze stepping further inside the office. There was a moment's pause before the man turned to the television and listened to the news, trying to ignore Jaze.

"Found out anything yet?" Jaze asked, just trying to sound curious and helpful.

"No."

…At least he was quick to answer.

He turned his body to look like he was watching the news as well, but really his mind was elsewhere. He was surprised that Bruce didn't do so much as twitch as he slipped into his mind and that in itself said enough. Someone else had already made a hole…and they were still in there.

He saw nothing but darkness…

_They're dead_

_Dead_

_All because of me_

_Pearls_

_Roses_

_Bats_

_Joker_

_I'll kill him_

_Swear to God—I'll kill him_

_Can't kill_

_Morals_

_Codes_

_Beliefs and values_

_Dead…_

_It was an accident_

_Just an accident…_

_Richard Grayson_

_Don't cry small one_

_I'll help you_

_Partners?_

…_Partners_

_Tony Zucco_

_Dead_

_Ward_

_Partner_

_Son…_

_Won't ever hurt him_

_Promise…_

_I never break a promise_

_Slade—_

Then it was like hitting a brick wall. He was collecting so much…but it was like being locked in an absolutely dark room, heart thumping, breathes quick and heavy—and you _knew_ someone else was in their...The scary thing was that they knew you were in there too…

Frightened, to a degree, he reached out for the memories once more….and—

Was shot out of the room in a heart beat. And he wasn't just talking about the dark room of Bruce' mind either, it was the office. He hit the far wall in the hallway and almost knocked himself out as the back of his head smacked into it. It didn't take long though as he slid down to sit against the wall for his vision to double before fading away…

-S-

The last thing he expected to see was Brother Blood soaring backwards across the warehouse room, colliding hard enough with the brick wall to break it down. He had noted the frown on Blood's face a few second before he went flying, but the fact that some invisible force suddenly propelled him across the room alerted some worry in Slade. It had to be because of his powers.

"What the hell was that for, you bastard…" Blood muttered, rubbing the back of his head and blinking numerous times. "Can't leave well enough alone, can you?"

Slade, containing his surprise and masking it with his usual calm persona, turned to his temporary partner and raised an eyebrow behind his mask. "And who exactly are you talking to?"

Blood, having dealt with such blows before, stood and brushed himself off. "It was that Doctor you were talking about earlier—the one you call Jaze? He was mucking around in the Bat's mind and we ran into each other."

"How come?" Slade growled. This was far from acceptable—now that someone knew that Bruce was being controlled, Robin would throw aside his doubt and tell everyone that Slade was in town. That meant he had to speed up with the operation, caught with his guard down…and he _hated_ being caught off guard...almost as much as failing….

As long as the police were busy with the Serial killings, he'd still have the advantage. Not even Robin knew what he was really up to…yet.

"I was protecting information about your plan." Blood explained. "He ran into me when he got too far down memory lane. All he knows is that someone else is in his mind."

"And why were you injured?"

Blood laughed, still rubbing the back of his head. It was one of his human parts. "The minds of children are quite different from those of adults, not to mention the Bat trained to escape brainwash. You think it's easy controlling him? I can barely use my powers on anyone else without him throwing me off and sling-shot-ting my mind halfway across the galaxy."

"I. Don't. Care." Slade hissed. "Just keep that man out his of his mind—kill him for God's sake."

"He's out cold." Blood muttered. "I made sure of that, so just sit back and watch. You're plan will work out exactly as you want it to. I have everything under control."

Oh really?

It was about time Jaze was granted his six feet of earth. His wife and son were calling.

-A-

Alex: Okay. I made this one longer than my regulars to make up for something. Just promise me you won't kill me….please?

Victor: Actually…it would be interesting to see you dead….

_Until again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

_And_

_Victor Van Heiring_


	51. Chapter nine: Believe

Bitter Betrayal

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that the same people who read and review each other's stories read the same type of stories from other people? It's just a thought…

Oh, and I have never been more frustrated in my entire life. My laptop…is dead. Victor spilt water on it by accident and now it is beyond repair. That cuts down my writing time to an absolute minimal, so I'm going to try my best to keep this up but…just don't get angry if I don't write in a while. I was lucky to get a computer today…

Peace Out.

CHAPTER NINE: Believe

There was, for the briefest of moments, an actual moment where he froze in the doorway of his own free will. He looked at his hands, stared at the unconscious body out in the hall, and gasped as he stumbled back into the office room. What was happening? What had the man done to him to set him free? Wasn't he…there…inside his mind?

"Oh God—" He ran into the hall and knelt by him, lifting his head away from the crack on the wall. Any harder and he would have gone through, no doubt there. "Wake up…"

Overall, he had no idea why he asked that. Maybe this was why Robin acted like a kid sometimes after he did something terribly wrong, trying to fix it at a frantic pace. There was no doubt that this guy was going to be out for hours—days at the least.

But, fate acting in spite of him, the man's glowing eyes fluttered opened, the ever menacing red still there. It wasn't unusual…though his actions were…

"I'm awake…" The man laughed in little interest, standing and cracking out his neck as though he hadn't felt better in his entire life. "You, on the other hand…"

Whoever was in his head before had found a new host.

-C-

"Man, how long does it take Star to fly out of the city and make a call…" He muttered, not to mention Raven was gone. Blood wasn't in Jump and he knew he should be off finding the team, but…he had to stay and stop the petty thieves like Control Freak and Mumbo.

How…fun.

Sitting at the counter in the kitchen area, he leaned his chin over his folded arms and sighed. "How do you do it, Robin…"

-BB-

Now that his secret of being here was out, he decided to stick by Robin where he lay, deep asleep with something of a small frown resting on his brow. There was no doubt he was fitting the nightmares away or remembering something that hurt. Whatever it was, B-man's betrayal must have been the first thing on his mind. You just can't get over a thing like that.

Then Jazz came back down.

His eyes were glowing fiercely behind the mummy bandage and his fists were clenched up tight into hard fists. He was in a foul mood and Robin would probably be too once Jazz said his part.

A bit nervous, Beast Boy shook Robin awake and helped the boy to sit up as Jazz stopped by the side of the table, arms crossed in his fury. Whatever he learned, he wasn't something happy.

"What…is it?" Robin asked softly, almost afraid to hear what the news was. "You look—"

"Pissed? No argument there." The man snarled. "He got away."

"WHAT!"

That was said by both Beast Boy and Robin at the same time, Robin's face paling at the news (if it wasn't white enough as is).

Beast Boy shook his head, wanting to deny that such a legend was guilty of anything. "Did you read his mind? Did he—"

"Kill? Yes."

Robin was shaking his head now. Even through all he had been, there was still a part of their leader that wanted to go on believing that there was some good in the man. But…he had done such a crime and now he was running away from punishment. Did he really deserve Robin's hope? Or forgiveness even…?

"What do we do?" BB asked quietly, ears drooping like they usually did. "WE just can't chase after him and catch him. This is guy is like some…natural bat."

"No." Robin said bluntly, void of all emotions he was feeling or wanted to feel. It was like a robot's answer. "I know what he knows and I know all the places he would go to hide. I know the same people who would help him so…"

"Dude? What about the Justice League?"

Robin paused. "That's probably going to be his first stop. If he's really cracked then we're probably going to be framed with something like the murders, or…" He nodded at Jazz. "Helping a criminal to escape justice."

He almost forgot about that. Jazz had been to Gotham before, working at Wayne Enterprise, and he was a criminal in the beginning…or was he still one? Just because he put his former job on hold to lend out a hand to the Titans didn't mean…

"No way!" BB exclaimed, hands in the air for emphasis. "Jazz isn't a criminal…anymore. Look—who dressed your wounds! Who's trying to help you catch the man that just about beat the living day-lights out of you? What's to say that he wouldn't have killed you if he hadn't come along, even if it was to keep up his charade?"

Robin nodded. "I know that, but we have to find Bruce now before he ruins us. I just wish the others were here…" Then he paused. "And where on earth is Alfred?"

-Br-

He was getting something worse than a migraine just trying to pull everything off nicely. While he was off in the doctor's head, Slade's robots were loading in crates of stolen material from Wayne Enterprises. He was going to build…well, let's just say something interesting.

"Did it work?" Slade's cool voice came from the darkness of his lair. Blood could faintly see his outline, a tall figure leaning with his back against the wall, arms and ankles crossed. Things were moving slowly, but this was what the man expected. All you needed was a little patience…

"Perfectly." Blood smiled, he rubbed his temples as he continued. The little green changeling was saying something to him and he had to answer. Forcing an answer to the boy through his newest host, he rubbed his temples again. It was straining to do adults…especially when you jumped from one to another. He was just lucky that the real Jazz was unconscious; otherwise there would be no possible way for him to slip into his mind and control it.

"And the Bat?"

"Tied up and unconscious. I caught him off guard, and he was still weak from being used. The two children believe me. They want us to split up and "caught" the Bat, but once the two separate I will go after the green one..."

"Kill him if he becomes a nuisance." Slade muttered in remembrance of the previous times he had seen the changeling. All he could remember was that he was as annoying as hell… "Does either of them suspect a thing?"

"Robin is ill. He doesn't know what to think anymore, and the little one…may become a problem. He's all cheer and grins when it comes to believing something…"

"Which means…?"

"He wants to believe that the Bat is still good, and he's going to base his actions on that."

Slade shifted in the dark, the gears in his head spinning, as usual. "Then get to him first. I think we've had enough fun with Robin for now…"

-A-

Short, I know, but I'm trying to remember what else I wrote. And don't worry—you'll see Starfire and Raven too. Everything has a purpose in this story…

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

PS: I know this is my shortest chapter yet…


	52. Chapter ten: Down with hope

Bitter Betrayal

Alexnandru Van Gordon

I'm listening to "Beethoven Virus" The techno remake and it is awesome. It got me in such a good mood (after losing all my updating chapters on the dead laptop...) and so I was motivated to write again. I know it's been a while and my next step it to update Blast, but I have so much to do…Wow…so busy. Anyway—I've been having trouble remembering what I wrote down last time so bear with me for now if this one turns up short again. I'm trying my hardest after losing seventy pages worth of writing…argh…

Oh—and I didn't realize spell check was correcting Jaze's name and respelling it automatically as Jazz. So sorry about that—and I'm glad some people noticed that. Shows what a smart crowd you guys are, makes me proud.

CHAPTER TEN: Down with hope

Splitting up made him nervous but he really had no choice in the matter. Robin went to search on the north side of town while he went to the south east. Jaze took the south west and they hunted through the night for a legend gone wrong. Beast Boy was seriously worried that he'd pop out of the shadows and strangle him, but he never came…Boy was he good at hiding.

Lurking in an alleyway, he stuttered down quietly as a green dog. No one paid any attention to him—mind you, there weren't many people out anyway. With Batman sort of turning on the world and his Serial Killing's keeping the cops busy, someone was breaking into companies for all sorts of chemicals and mechanical pieces. So far all that was stolen added up to nothing, but if some genius was in town then there would be hell to pay…

The sound of footsteps behind him startled the heck out of Beast Boy. He spun around and morphed back into his humanoid self, coming face-to-face with…Slade?

"You!" BB exclaimed, backing up a step in shock. He had squat about the man since coming to Gotham and he was certain that the man wasn't interested in the Titans much anymore. After all, why else would he leave?

"Who else were you expecting?" Slade sighed, almost bored with the green changeling. "The Bat, perhaps? Looks as though he's something for the good people to fear now."

Beast Boy shook his head slowly, fury boiling within. Then something clicked in his head…and he surprised himself with how much of it made sense. "You're doing all this—you and Blood! You're controlling Batman!"

Slade paused then, surprised himself that the most annoying and idiotic member of the Titans figured that all out in one go. "Well, you were the last person I had expected to discover that. Although Robin has been through that theory, at least he took bait to my red-herrings. Then again, you just came here out of the blue. I'm surprised the other members of your team haven't figured it out yet."

Beast Boy gapped…He was right—he was actually right? Batman was being controlled by Slade and Blood—and that meant Cyborg and the others could come to Gotham and help take them down when Beast Boy…died. He was going to die! He should have kept his mouth shut!

"Then again, you're not quite as smart as one would have thought." Slade said continuing, reading the thoughts passing through the boy's mind. "Usually someone in danger would deny openly to such a thing if they wanted to live, but you must have a death wish…"

"Oh no…: He backed away further but Slade didn't follow. Instead…his one eye was looking past him.

Beast Boy spun around and saw Jaze. The man stood no more than a foot away from him, staring straight at Slade with his fierce red eyes. Beast Boy knew there was a feud between the two and that they wanted to kill one another, so maybe it was good that Beast Boy wasn't fighting alone. If Robin has trouble with the guy than BB stood no chance at all on his own.

"Jaze—you heard that, right?" He asked. The man ignored him, still staring at Slade…before slowly looking down at BB.

"I think I can leave you with this." Slade said, talking to Jaze. "And make it quick, Blood. We have new problems to deal with now…"

Blood? But then…Wasn't…Blood…_What_! Blood couldn't have taken over Jaze too. The man had mind powers! But he did go to see Batman…maybe sneaking into his mind wasn't such a good thing after all…

"Please, Jaze…You have to snap out of this…" Beast Boy began backing away from his old ally. This couldn't be happening…he had to warn Robin.

He meant to morph into a bird before Jaze could grab him, but that failed. Jaze's fingers closed around his throat the moment he moved, tightening to close off his windpipe. Getting strangled was one thing, but if he broke the windpipe then it didn't matter whether or not BB broke fear.

Lifted off the ground, feet dangling in the air, Beast Boy gagged. The first transformation that came to mind was a snake and so he did as such. Unluckily for him Jaze's kept a tight grip around when his neck should be; keep the fangs and snapping mouth far from his face.

"Don't fight." Jaze—or, rather, Blood—laughed. "Just look into my eyes and I promise you won't feel a thing…"

No…No…This couldn't be happening…

If small wasn't going to work, he'd have to shift to large.

And large he did. He slowly began to grow, morphing into a T-rex as Jaze backed away. He knew he couldn't kill Jaze because he would return to his normal, but then what the heck was he going to do? Run? …Maybe, but Slade would have known as much. He planned ahead for just about everything these days…and in the past too…now that he thought about it, Slade was always ready for everything.

But Jaze could take quite a few good hits. After all, his body was practically dead when he hid in his illusions…if it was an illusion. Oh—he was getting himself confused! Jaze could take a good hit—that was all he needed to know!

Spinning around, Beast Boy whipped his tail around and caught Jaze in the side. With a painful '_Oomph!'_ Jaze went flying into the side of the nearest building. Being in an alleyway, the impact caused the brick to shatter into an almost web-like pattern when Jaze collided with it. Then he fell to the ground moaning as he tried to push back up on his hands.

"Cheep shot, kid. My ribcage is going to collapse on me now and then you'll kill your friend."

Oh…dammit. He really didn't mean to hit him that hard, but he had to keep space in mind. Any hit Jaze's body took in this place was going to crush him.

People out in the street who could see Beast Boy fled in fear. Bet they hadn't seen a tyrannosaurus rex in Gotham before. No sir-ee.

With room now in the streets, Beast Boy took a step over Jaze's body and morphed into something a little smaller—a tiger. Then he knelt down low and waited to pounce on Jaze once he followed.

But he didn't. It was a creepy site because BB could see Jaze's red eyes and his faint silhouette in the dim street lights as he raised his arms out limply before him. Slade must have told Blood all about Jaze because bandage wrapping shot out from the sleeves of his jacket and caught BB around his two front legs. It began tightening—even when BB morphed into his normal self and tied to slip out. It slithered up his arms and down his torso, part of it up his neck toward his mouth. Once he was gagged, the bandage worked its way up higher toward the rest of his face and lower toward his legs as he tried to pull away. The heavy scent of ointment and disease was making him nauseous.

"Asphyxiation—do you know what that is?" Jaze—Blood—asked, a smile in his voice. "It's another term for suffocation, and that's exactly how you'll die…"

BB's eyes grew wide—no way! He wasn't actually going to kill him the slow way—was he!

The wrapping was already over his nose, cutting him off from air after he took one last deep breath. Then. Moving up toward his eyes, he fell over, an ache growing in his chest. He had never been close to suffocating before in his life—he didn't want to die this way!

Part of him prayed someone would come…but Batman was missing, Robin was on the other side of town, Jaze was under Blood's control and all the other Titans were far away in Jump City.

He had never felt more alone in his entire life…

-R-

He stood on the edge of the building, gazing across the road at Wayne Enterprise. Bruce wouldn't go there…maybe as his society self, but not as Batman, and Batman went nowhere without his gadgets at hand. Who knew where he would go now. Maybe he would go somewhere familiar just so Robin would find him—an easy kill to lure your prey, or perhaps he would choose somewhere so different that Robin couldn't find him.

No…Bruce was scary and dreadful, but he was no coward. The last thing he would do was hide somewhere he couldn't be found. He was just…waiting.

Maybe he should call up BB. Jaze had no communicator, but his two allies were both on the south side. Maybe they had met up and could tell him if anything was found yet.

There were footsteps…heavy footsteps…

But he turned slowly.

"Any luck?"

Robin turned away from him. Everything was falling apart in his world. Enemies were something along the lines of temporary allies, friends were miles away, and those he trusted the most betrayed him beyond forgiveness…

"None."

Slade didn't come any closer. Instead, he watched Robin as the boy turned his back to him. "And what will you do once you find him?"

This had taken much consideration. "Kill him. He's too dangerous to keep around."

"I thought you had morals."

"And those were shoved out the window by everyone but myself. If they were still around I wouldn't be teaming up with you, now would I?"

"Ah…but at least the thrill is still there I hope."

He shook his head slowly. "Always was."

"Then what took you so long realize it?"

"Give it a break." He snapped. "I'm busy."

There came a growl from Slade. "We made a deal and I will make to see you follow it through. Hold your tongue—you'll need to learn that for the future."

"Not until I'm finished with my business." He turned his head slightly, looking at Slade through the corner of his eye. "Or did you forget that part of the deal?"

He hated making deals…This one was made right after he almost drowned. There was no doubt that Slade knew Batman was going to break and came to Gotham to pick up the pieces the man left of Robin—it was planned out—but Robin no longer cared. His mind took a spin on life and he was forced to re-evaluate his choices in life. He was just a mere mortal leading a superhuman team, always struggling to keep on top. And what was the point of saving people from crime if crime only continued to grow? This was his last gift to the people…to those poor kids who were being slaughtered by his old mentor…

"I am a man of my word when it comes to promises." Slade sighed, annoyed. "You should know that well enough by now."

"Yeah, but you lie a lot. A croton detonator? Wow…that speaks loud enough for itself."

"So I've lied to get what I want. Now that we have a deal, what use are lies to me anymore?"

"The Titans are still out there."

"And I will come around to dealing with them after I'm finished with more important parts of the world. Your old team is nothing compared to the Justice League—and wouldn't that be something…showing that old father of yours that you can beat the team he's a part of."

He frowned. "Save your thoughts for later. I'm busy."

"I'm well aware of that. You said that first thing when I got here."

"Then what is it?"

He could tell Slade was smiling.

Here's another point—you not only know something's wrong when you quote a villain, but when you can tell what their emotions are when you're not even looking at their face.

"I know where he is."

Robin tilted his head to one side, staring straight down at the street below. Fate was pointing him in the other direction now. Might as well comply instead of constantly fighting it. He had to face it—he wanted to kill someone, Tony Zucco—the murderer of his parents, ever since he was nine.

"Care to tell me where?"

Slade began to walk away. "I'll show you."

-B-

He tried to shake away the feeling in his head. That man could hit hard…not to mention this 'bandage' wrapping was pretty tight. How the heck was he supposed to get out of it?

At least his hands were pinned by his sides.

Trying to move his right hand, he tried slipping it toward his belt. He knew how to get out of this mess…he just needed to reach a little further.

In his mind he sorted out what he was going to do. Normally he would have tracked down who did this too him and beat the living daylights out of him, but there was the green boy and Robin to worry about. They were his primary concern and he had to find them before anything happened to mess up their lives.

And when he did find them he'd have to apologize…that was going to be the hardest part of all…

-A-

Actually, I've never seen him apologize before. I guess I need to watch more of the show and read more of the comics before I make assumptions, but it's easy to tell he's not too good at apologizing verbally.

Oh—and what of poor BB? Some of you already know I have a record for killing good and bad guys alike, so what am I going to do with him? I know you're probably thinking that Star and Raven will swoop down to save him, but I have other plans for those two. You've got to remember, Slade mentioned 'new problems' to deal with. I'd love to shake you around a little more and point out my clues for what Slade has hidden up his sleeve, but I know you're a smart bunch. I know you'll all have it figured out before I have time to update…and speaking of which…

**Shara Shima** has to update her latest TT story before I update anything else. That's the deal I laid out to her so go and read her story—bug her into submitting chapter five already if you want to see what I have planned.

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	53. Chapter eleven: Places, everybody!

Ghosts of the Past

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Whoops…looks like I left BB dying for a little too long… (_pokes limp green body on ground_). No matter. I'm the author; I can go back in time so you can see what happens. Do I really kill BB or am I going to let him live? You'll have to read to find out…

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Places, everybody!

If you've ever been knocked unconscious in a car accident, then you'd know exactly how he felt. It was like waking up from a small coma which kept you out while in the operation room, a dull ache and sharps pain returning to your body as the numbing affect fell away. Your head felt like someone tried to tear it open with a chainsaw while the rest of your limbs felt as heavy as lead. It wasn't until you were sure you were awake that the pain and panic returned—the dynamic duo of torment.

'_What on earth…'_ He heard nothing but himself and saw nothing but darkness…but, strangely, he could feel himself move with the aid of someone else. Not only that, but it felt as though there was more in his head than just his brain and himself. _'Blood…'_

How dare he! Jaze understood that the man had powers of the mind and used them to eliminate his enemies, but when he snuck into another psychics mind and started messing around then it became damn right insulting and absolutely personal.

'_Why you son-of-a—'_

-BB-

Writhing in fear and the need for release, he tried to pull his arms away from his sides, taking in as much air as the bandage would allow—which was next to none once you took the time to realize it. And if he didn't suffocate firs then the ever-tightening wrapping would crush him instead, already his limbs and ribs cracking in angry protest. And so now, after facing death for one of the first few times in his oh-so-very-short life, he discovered his new-found fear of being either A0 Crushed to death; or B) Being buried alive. Give him a coffin and the latter of the two would come true.

Despite the pain and ever-growing sleepiness that could only mean he was nearing death, his keen senses were still with him. That was how he heard the muffled cry of agony before the wrapping loosened the tiniest bit. He paused in his struggles, half in disbelief and half in curiousity of who was helping him, and the wrapping loosened even more, now giving him more room to maneuver. And it only took him a spilt second to slip a hand toward his face and tear at the bandage with a claw.

The cool evening air strung his face like a winter's breeze, hitting his mouth first where the large slash was located. Thanking whatever God existed, he gulped down air like a thirsty man would water and began his struggles again, this time more of the wrapping tearing away. Once the upper half of his body was entirely fear, he snuck a glance at Blood…

The man in Jaze's body was down on his knees, both hands on the sides of his head on the temples. He cried out again and his reds eyes blazed in torment. "Stop it!" The man screamed. "I…you won't…Stop! I won't let you—"

Beast Boy honestly had no idea which man was doing the talking—that is, if Jaze was really awake again. He hoped to God he was. There was no way Beast Boy would attack the man again…not while there was still hope for their neutral friend…

"BEAST BOY!" The man—Jaze, he assumed—yelled. "Find Robin—stop him! Bruce isn't bad—he's…he's…"

"Good—I know!" He replied, panicking. Could he really just leave the man—he had to stay and do something. "But you—"

"Will be fine—GO!"

The green changeling didn't have to be told twice.

Spinning on his heel and hunching down forward, he morphed into a cheetah and tore down the street at break-neck speed. Why stop Robin? Did he really still believe Bruce was evil…Well, BB had been fooled for the longest of times and Slade said Robin already faced that theory. He also said that he laid out red herrings to screw the kid up…

What in the world was going on?

-Ra-

Traveling alone with Starfire could prove to be a tricky business, seeing that the girl seemed to never breath. Some of her run-on sentences were so long that Raven wondered how she could talk so fast without cramping her tongue. It was…if anything great, amazing.

"—how about there?"

"No…" Raven replied. It was just another plain building. "He lives farther out of city."

"Oh, that would seem to make sense since our tower is by the bay and looks over the city, so maybe he can look over the city and make sure everything is alright and then—"

"Look—" Sometimes she would just interrupt her to shut her up and let her go on a wild goose-chase to shut her up, but this time she was being serious. In the darkness of the night she could see Slade leaping from one high rooftop to another leveling at a similar, if not taller, height. It made her wonder how Robin ever kept up with the guy.

"He. Will. Pay. _Dearly_…" Starfire growled; eyes and hands glowing a fierce green. "We will finish him off ourselves before he can fulfill his plans—"

"No!" Raven reached out and caught her shoulder before she dove down to strangle the man. "First of all, he can't tell us his plans if he's dead. Second of all, his place is in jail—not the grave. Let him rot a way a couple of years before he's damned to hell, Starfire."

Her last sentence was a little out of her character but she couldn't help but feel her anger flare at the sight of the man. As much as she herself knew that the man deserved to die on the spot, only God had the right to take a life. His life was out of their hands…

Starfire, contemplating what she said, watched the man move further away, clenching and unclenching her fists like Robin sometimes did. Starfire didn't hate the man personally—she hated the man because her loved one suffered by his hands, and that was personal enough.

"Remember, Starfire, just hit him hard enough to knock him down…"

"I promise to _try_." And then she went after the man like a dart to its target.

"Star…" Raven muttered under her breath, but she followed in pursuit. There was going to be hell to pay when this was all over…

-S-

He was beginning to wonder when they'd take the bait. He purposely jumped roof just so they would notice him, and what do they do—hover in midair a little bit behind and above him to whisper about their plan of action. Did they honestly believe he didn't notice them? They should have shown him some credit…

The alien girl was the first to attack, a speed-demon soaring toward him with the flames of hell blazing in her hands. Through the corner of his eye he could see her nearing, raising his hand to his belt before she could react. Then, spinning on his heel, rammed his bo-staff side-ways hard enough to smash her pretty little skull had she been human. IT might have broken it severely, but he had no doubt she wouldn't back down so easy in the beginning. She would at least attempt to hit him once before the night was through.

Raven followed too close behind Starfire and suffered the second twirl of Slade's staff after he hit her companion. It too caught her in the face and she spun around in mid-air to take the hit. Both girls, although disorientated, backed up higher into the sky.

"That was…most painful…" The alien girl whimpered, both hands rising to her aching head.

"Really?" Slade mocked. "I would have never known…"

The girl released a deep growl before glowing once more, throwing beck her hands and then thrusting them forward to pelt him with an array of starbolts. Still fazed from his last attack, her bolts were easy enough to dodge, whacking one back at her with her staff. It caught her square in the jaw and sent her reeling back higher into the air.

"Azarath metrion _zin_—"

"Ah yes, the one member of the team who is forever relying on cheep magic tricks and incantations." He laughed, interrupting her. Her eyes glowed fiercely and she opened her mouth to start her mantra again. "Whatever would you do without your tongue?"

He reached to his belt once more.

"_Azarath metrion zin—_ACK!"

She waved her hand in front of her face, choking on the smoke from the small pellet he chucked at her face. Bending his knees, he took a strong leap into the air and bent his arms over his head, bo-staff clutched tightly in both hands. As the smoke disappeared, Raven opened her eyes—face meeting with the end of his bo-staff. A sickening staff broke the silence in the air and she fell toward the street a hundred feet below, Slade following.

"Perhaps you should have learned more than one way to fight." He called down to her unconscious body, falling with her until her reached for the grappling hook at his belt. Twisting in the air, he released his bo-staff and placed both hands on the grappling hook as it shot toward the nearest building. Bracing his legs, he hit the brick wall promptly and turned to look over his shoulder at the fallen witch. As he expected, the alien girl caught her before she reached the speeding cars, lifting her up to the safety of a nearby roof. He could tell she wanted more than anything to follow him further but he only wanted to anger her further, build up her hate so that there next encounter would be more interesting.

Climbing up the grappling hook, he was met with Robin on the roof.

"Why did you do that?"

Slade noted the hated in his voice and smiled behind his mask. Standing and retuning the grappling hook to his belt, he spun around to gaze at the nearby rooftop. You could barely see the Titans and Starfire was too busy checking over her friend to notice them, but Slade knew that if Robin called to them, he'd be heard.

"Heroes and heroines are fair play, remember?" Slade stated coolly. "As long as I hurt no civilians while hunting down your old mentor, I can fight anyone who attacks me—and you clearly saw who attacked who first."

Robin knew the truth and clenched his fists tightly, unclenching them only to repeat. "How hard did you hit her?" He finally asked. Although he was no longer with the team, the care and concern was still with his old companions. That was something Slade had to look into getting rid of.

"Only hard enough to put her out of the game." He replied truthfully. "Her powers enable her to heal rapidly. I have no doubt we'll be seeing more of her soon."

Robin hesitated, eyes on the back of the alien girl. "Let's go…I don't have much time."

"Time is only worth the price you give it. The Batman isn't leaving Gotham."

"And neither are the people who could get hurt by him." Robin added angrily. "Now, are you going to show me where he is or are you going drag this out even further?"

"Patience, Robin…he will come to you…"

-B-

Freeing himself didn't take as long as he anticipated. The man mind-controlling Jaze didn't know how to tie knots too well and Bruce found himself up on his feet in no time. Running back down to the cave, he took what weapons he would need to fight and capture Slade and anything else he might need in case he ran into anyone who believed him to be evil. There was no doubt the imposter had said something to Robin and the green changeling Beast Boy. They were all gone…and to where?

He strode up to the main computer just as he did up his belt, tracking the small locator he put into Robin's "R" emblem over his heart. Whether or not Robin knew Bruce put it there before he left Gotham the first time, he had no idea, but perhaps Robin would have the common sense to keep it on. He could be rash at times, but Robin was a natural genius.

"Come on, Richard…where are you…" He waited patiently—and then a small red dot appeared on the screen. It was faint from being so far away, but it was off in a lesser part of town that was mainly abandoned or occupied by the homeless. Why the boy was going there was beyond his understanding, but at least he'd be able to find him…

-A-

HA! So there! **Shara Shima** has no choice now but to update **_If At First You Don't Succeed_**. I kept my promise and now she has to keep her. That's right—I finally found one of the last chapter and I'm back on track with my Not Again Series. Now, who is going to win…Robin…or _Bruce_…?

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	54. Chapter twelve: Deception

Bitter Betrayal

Alexnandru Van Gordon

I've been trying desperately to update The Boogie Man but I have the next chapter save on another computer on the other side of the city. Once I'm back at my dad's place, I'll finish it up and post it for you to read.

CHAPTER TWELVE: Deception

It felt like old times…but not the old times you would expect. It was just like the old times when your partner was in desperate need of your help and you were on the other side of town. Perhaps that's why he didn't want to let Robin join him in crime fighting in the first place. But every time he began to doubt the ten-year-old, he'd go off and pull a stunt no one—be it villain or the damsel in distress—would have ever expected him to accomplish. That was why Bruce was proud of him…but that was also why he worried.

The kid was good at what he did, but his temper was always something to be wary of. True, it boosted his performance and gave him that needed energy to finish the job, but it led him into traps—and God only knows how blind he can be to those sometimes. He was probably falling into a trap right now…

God, he hoped Robin still didn't think he was evil…

He reached the place sooner than he expected, probably because his mind was wandering in every direction possible. His tracker indicated that Robin hadn't moved in the last hour and half…maybe he was hurt…maybe worse…

Batman forced the thoughts from his mind and leapt down from the roof top across the alleyway to land on the fire escape ladder. Then he slid down the railings on either side and froze to listen for movement when he hit the ground. This was the place…an old worn down warehouse on the far side of the Narrows. Robin most likely came here in pursuit of a criminal…then why was he still there?

Sighing to himself, he took a batarang from his utility belt and started down the alleyway in search of a door. Once found, he quietly opened the junk of metal and slipped inside the dark building. The only light came from the holes in the windows, wall, and ceiling from the street lamps outside, chains with hooks hanging from above conveyer belts squared around the room. There was a catwalk that circled the room, making up for the second level, with an additional one cutting straight across the room for overseers to watch production. But the place was empty and dead silent…but Robin should be in there…in the center of the place if he wasn't mistaken…

Silently, cap hugged close to his body to move with the shadows, he slowly stalked around the crates and machinery to the center of the building and stopped at what he saw. A spot of light broke through the ceiling to land on an empty space, Robin's 'R' emblem lying discarded on the ground in plain sight.

…he wasn't there.

He didn't know whether to feel relief that he didn't find Robin's broken body in its place, or horrified that he still had no idea where his surrogate son was hiding—or dying—in the city. After the condition Bruce put him in…Robin must have been the easiest target in Gotham. The boy was strong…maybe he'd be alright.

Disappointed with himself, he walked forward and knelt to pick up the emblem. Standing, he flipped it over in his hand and starred at the R…It had been painted over, of course, after what happened to it. Bruce could still see the dent where Richard tried to mold the metal back together, mold it back together where the bullet hole once was—

He barely had time to doge aside after hearing the familiar, but soft, whine of metal cutting through air at breakneck speed. In the place that he stopped, one half of the birdarang blade was buried deep within the ground.

"Hey, Bruce."

He spun around and looked up at the catwalk where Robin stood, three more birdarangs fit between each finger of his right hand. Batman could tell how frustrated Robin was, both by the sound in his voice and how he used Batman's real name in plain shot for anyone to hear. Not that there was really anyone around to hear…

"Richard." Bruce greeted back, sounding as impassive as he usually did. It drove Robin nuts sometimes, but now Robin looked as unemotional as him. Did he really want to attack Bruce?

"Why did you come here?"

"To find you."

"And why would you do something like that?"

He opened his mouth to protest, but held his tongue. He wasn't used to Robin talking back like that but to put him down now would be the exact same thing he would have done under that strange man's influence.

"I was worried." He answered truthfully, eyes downcast.

Robin gave a small laugh. "You—_worried_? That's new."

"No it's not. I care about you."

"And why should I believe you?"

This was beginning to get difficult, but Robin was right… "I wasn't myself when we last fought. I was—"

"Like I said before, why should I believe you?" And he stepped up onto the railing of the catwalk with one foot, pushing himself up so he could flip in midair and land gracefully on both feet. That was one of Robin's unique traits…one of the things he would always beat Bruce at. "I believed you when I came back, believed that you would help me take down my worst enemy. You didn't act too much out of character then, so what makes any difference now?"

He knew the truth. "…Nothing…So what are you going to do about it?"

Robin shook his head slowly, disappointed. "First, I'm going to ask you why you killed all those little boys."

He knew what Robin must have been thinking and it made enough sense to Bruce too. Bruce had finally snapped and took out his frustration on anyone that resembled Richard at the ages he had known the boy. That's the same conclusion any psychiatrist would come to right from the start.

"I didn't mean to, Richard. Someone else was—"

"Controlling you—I know. That's what I thought you'd say. But guess what—_prove it_."

And…he couldn't. Richard was brought up by him where everything had to have proof in order to be real or at least a little bit reasonable.

"…I can't, Richard. But why are you doing this? Why are you fighting me like this?"

"Because—" Richard tossed the three birdarangs and Bruce dodged the instant he saw them coming. He had to do a tumble and roll to avoid the small explosion that followed and stood cautiously to watch Robin take up a fighting stance. "…this is going to be my last act as a hero."

"So heroes take down other heroes. Is that it?"

"You're no hero, Bruce. Just another criminal."

"Then what does that make you? Are you going to hang up the cape and call it quits finally?"

Robin shook his head slowly, again as though he was disappointed…but sadly. "I made a deal with the devil, Bruce, and I always pay up to my debts."

That was true, but then who the hell did he owe…

He saw him, standing on the catwalk where Robin last was, hands behind his back like the first time Bruce saw him. He had had a fair share of history with Deathstroke the Terminator himself, but he believed Robin and the rest of the Teen Titans knew him simply by his first name, Slade.

"_You_…" Bruce growled. "You're behind all of this."

"No…" the man replied calmly. "You are."

And the Robin attacked.

-BB-

"Dude, dude, DUDE! Where are you! Answer me already!"

Beast Boy shook his communicator and chucked it down at the side-walk. It was who-knows-what time in the middle of the night and the streets were as empty as the cities in the horror movies. Jaze, under Blood's control, tried to kill him, Robin was off somewhere, probably no one had any idea where Slade was, and the other Titans were still in Jump trying to find Blood…who was here…or should be here…

He had no idea what he was going to do…

"WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?"

"We are mostly here, friend Beast Boy."

"EEP!" He nearly had a heart attack, stumbling back into a street lamp post when Starfire suddenly descended upon him. What she was doing there was beyond his understanding, but he had never been happier before in his life to see her.

Crying out in joy, he ran up to the alien girl and hugged her tightly, seeming to make her happier by the show of affection. "Thank God you're here, Star! I have no idea where Robin is or…where I am either. Are you the only one here or—"

"Raven is on the roof, Beast Boy. She is…unconscious."

Unconscious? Well, that wasn't good.

"Um, show me where."

"Then we may take her to the _pital_ of _hos_."

"Hospital?"

"Er…yes."

She took off back into the air and he morphed into a bird to follow. Right she was—there was Raven, levitating over the roof of a high-rise hotel like some sort of possessed woman. It was…kind of freaky…

"Oh…what do we do, Beast Boy?"

After morphing, he shrugged. "Call 911?"

-A-

Short, I know, but I had to end it here otherwise I'd cut into the good part. And you guys make such interesting assumptions, especially with the betting between who will win—Robin or Batman. Anyhow, I'll catch you guys later. I hope you have a wonderful summer.

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	55. Chapter thirteen: Deception: part two

Bitter Betrayal

Alexnandru van Gordon

Alex: You have been warned…the battle will begin…

Victor: Ooh, creepy.

Alex: Don't mock me…-.-I've been dying to write this and then there's you—Why couldn't you just stay on vacation?

Victor: Hm…I don't really know why but I lived in America last year and I expected school to be in school right now.

Alex: Ah, yes, the rewards of being Canadian. Non-fake Maple syrup, free health-care, real Canadian beef—

Victor: Love and peace and harmony—yeah, yeah, you guys are like the care bears in human form.

Alex: O.o? Am not!

Victor: Yeah right—that's why you guys write Please and Thank-You on your protest signs.

Alex: We do not! And besides, my country's leader didn't think the Prime Minister of Canada was Mr. Poutine, when it's really Paul Martin! We never had a Prime Minister named after food.

Victor:…But that was on the news…O.o?...You were watching it too.

Alex: Duh—comedy channel! The show was called 'This Hour has 22 Minutes', and it's a spoof on Canadian news.

Victor: I still like America better.

Alex: And I think they each have their ups and downs—but how the hell did we get into this? Sorry people—on with the story!

Victor: Hazzah….or whatever he usually says….I kind of forgot…

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Deception Part Two

As adrenaline pumps through your veins you find yourself stuck between a world that is nothing more than dull aches and numbing pains. Sometimes you feel the full blow but your mind ignores it as though it was nothing more than a figment of your imagination. Then you fall into a routine. Attack. Counter. Defend. Attack. Counter. Defend. Attack. Counter. Defend.

What comes next?

Oh yeah.

Attack.

Robin swung out his bo-staff as hard as he could at Bruce's legs, a second too late from knocking him down. The older expert jumped forward at the same time the moment Robin knelt to swing, the heel of his right foot connecting with the boy's jaw. Against a normal criminal, Robin's neck and jaw would sting with newfound pain and he would rise once more to attack. But this was the darkest knight of Gotham City and his blow knocked Robin right off the floor, soaring backwards no more than a foot of the ground until he slid to a jerky halt ten feet away.

He forced himself to get back up.

Just in time to take the next blow.

Back on his feet, Robin almost missed the fist coming for his face. This he ducked under, crouching low before straightening again, own fist posed, jamming it up into Bruce's ribs. The man, however, had taken the like before on countless occasions and brought his elbow down between Robin's shoulder blades in reply.

In the back of his mind, Robin wondered what it would've been like had he never left Gotham in the first place. Maybe…maybe if he had just ignored Bruce like he usually did after he was shot by the Joker, Bruce would've forgotten his worries and the Dynamic Duo would go on fighting in the name of justice. Maybe…But then he would have never met the Titans, never saved the city, never saved the lives he did. And who could ever regret saving a life?

No. The days of yesterday were just that…days of yesterday.

But his mind still wandered aimlessly toward the past, a futile attempt to escape the pain that came after his back round-house kick failed, ankle grabbed and then twisted mercilessly until he spun sideways in the air and fell back to the hard dusty ground. He was on his side and when Bruce's foot connected with his stomach. He gasped in as much air as he could before his bo-staff slipped from his fingers and he rolled away, standing again with his only help coming in the form of adrenaline.

And what if Bruce did know what Robin was up to? Would he still hit him as hard—just like he would a criminal? Robin had taken pretty good beatings in practice when he was young, but that was for the simple reason that any normal thief or murderer wasn't going to go easy on him 'just because' he was a kid. This was far different. Each blow was powered by anger and grief and…perhaps even disappointment? No. Robin couldn't bear the thought. He fell from the Batman's shadow a long time ago, and he still wouldn't care what the man thought of him, whether it be bad or good.

Once a hero.

Die a hero.

That was the motto Robin made up in his mind, and it didn't matter how many times he doubted himself or had the urge to just give in to the other side because his mind always drifted back to that saying.

Once a hero—die a hero.

That's what true heroes did. They fought until they couldn't stand from the broken bones in their legs, couldn't speak from the blood flooding their mouth, and couldn't stop because they knew someone would suffer if they did. Well, right now he was timing himself to kill a criminal—or beat him to a bloody pulp; whichever kept him down first—and if he was wrong in any way or couldn't get the message across, he was as good as dead.

Bruce had picked up the discarded bo-staff, being one who taught Robin the basics of fighting with it, and held it ready for when Robin came into range. He was a wicked spirit when it came to wielding something with long ends. It was like stepping up to the whipping post and a man with the cat o' nine tails in his hand.

He could see Slade in the corner of his eye, standing still on the catwalk to watch the battle from above like some sort of god who put it into play. He was more like the devil.

Robin ducked the first swing, slowly backing up toward the wall. Bruce was herding him and Robin was trying to anticipate his next move. Honestly, he had gone to others to learn how to better wield the bo-staff. He had no idea what sort of style Bruce fought with.

Bruce charged.

Robin wanted to flip over Bruce but his sprained ankle protested against it. Besides, he was too slow again. The best he could do was grab the bo-staff with both hands and brace the ground with his feet as Bruce pushed him back. Dust floated into the air and soon Robin found himself pinned, the long hard length of metal pressed against his chest and slowly moving up toward his neck. But he knew better. He held onto the bo-staff still with both hands and slid up the wall with it. A head and a half higher than Bruce when the man couldn't stretch his arms any farther. Bruce knew he couldn't cut off Robin's air with pressure against the throat, so he moved onto the next best thing—the chest, and that was nothing of a pretty picture.

Imagine two trucks parked, face to face with you in between. Start them up and slowly drive forward and then you'll know what he was feeling.

Lower ribs he could afford to break, but when his chest was crushed involuntarily further than what he could handle he gathered what little strength he could muster and kicked out as his vision darkened. Apparently he hit something because the next thing he felt was the floor as he hit it for the umpteenth time. Bruce was the one to stumble back now, a hand over his jaw as blood seeped between closed lips. The same happened to Robin as he brushed himself off and stood, coughing violently when drew a deep breath. He wiped the blood from his face with the back of his left glove and stared down at the mess on the ground. It too was soaked with blood—who it belonged to the most was still opened for debate because Robin was giving as good as he got. But what did that matter? The loser in a battle could easily win with a lucky blow.

The next thing that happened was too abrupt for Robin to calculate properly until he knew he broke something. Bruce lashed out with the bo-staff again, this time aiming vertically downward for Robin's waist. The best Robin could do was lean his upper body back, arms out of the way as the rod crashed into his left hip, an ominous crack following the instant it made contact. Robin was pushed onto his side, bouncing off the ground as he bit back a cry of agony and placed a hand on the broken hip. The bone was crushed right near the tip that was just below the waistline and it wasn't life threatening—but the pain was unbearable and he couldn't bend well at the waist unless he wanted to make matters worse.

He was doomed, plan failed.

Or maybe not…

"I don't want to do this too you, Robin…" Bruce sad quietly, conscience of Slade watching. He headed toward the boy and Robin could note the regret—no matter how small—in his voice. "But you have to believe me when I say I'm not a murderer."

Robin didn't say anything right away. He waited until Bruce leaned down, grabbed him by the front of his uniform, and lifted him off the ground to be face to face with his old mentor. Then he whispered. "Neither of us are…" As his hand slid toward Bruce's belt and pulled out the smoke bombs. "I was just waiting for a little privacy."

He could sense the puzzling look on Bruce's face before he dropped the two bombs he grabbed, arm hidden from Slade's view by Bruce's arm. Smoke erupted immediately in an angry cloud around them, spiraling upwards around the two before spreading out to fill the entire room. That's when Bruce finally believed him and set him down gently on the ground before they each pulled out their small gas masks.

"What's the show for?" Was his mentor's first question, voice stern and business like—void of all emotions as though their little battle had never occurred.

"For him." Robin answered, indicating Slade, wherever he was. "And I have to be quick about this because there's not much time left. Raven's hurt up on a roof near 65th Avenue and Cyborg needs to be told that Blood is somewhere here in Gotham with us—I think Jaze might be after him. That's the only conclusion I could come too after I realized I was dealing with the real you—"

"You knew about this all along?" It was more of a statement than a question, but Bruce didn't like to sound as though he didn't know something.

"After the first time you beat me, Slade was there to pick up the pieces. The second time it happened he went so far as to save my life. I started to suspect something the moment I knew he was in Gotham and when I began to connect him with Blood he tried to throw me off."

"So you decided to battle me one on one until either of us apparently died?"

Figures he'd say it like that.

Robin scowled. "Look—he wants to corrupt me and the only way to keep his hands off this battle was to fight you myself. He knows how I fight, and he knows when I'm acting. Besides, who broke the bones of whom?"

Bruce shook his head. "Perhaps home would be the best place to discuss this after we clean up this mess. Right now we have to find Slade."

"Not now—" Robin reached out his hand and grabbed Batman's arm when he turned away. The bomb should be going off soon."

That stopped him.

"Bomb?"

"You know the emblem you picked off the ground?"

Batman's hand shot to his belt and took out the emblem he picked up earlier. Holding it up to one ear, Bruce listened….

"You made a _bomb_?"

Robin arched an eyebrow. "It's not like I never knew how. Now toss it down. I meant to somehow get your utility belt off earlier but I was kind of losing, so I waited until you got into speech mood before I explained things. The last thing I wanted to do was blow you to smithereens."

"You made a bomb…in _my_ city?"

Robin sighed behind his mask, aware that the smoke around them was dying out and Slade was somewhere still around. "I scanned the area and have an alarm on my communicator. No one comes here after some phony mofia rumor and the bomb should only take down half the building. Besides, the nearest fire department is five minutes away from here."

"And you're going to kill him?"

He almost sighed…truth was, Slade was immortal.

"Just shut up. I'll explain later." Robin snapped, swatting the emblem out of Bruce's hand just as he noticed something stirring up the smoke. He reached to his utility belt and slipped out his grappling hook before aiming high and letting the wiring go. It spiraled up to the city and made no sound as it tightened, grabbing hold of something. "Ceiling window." He explained as Bruce followed his example, up in the air before Robin was, speeding up toward the ceiling. It was when they the highest point of smoke when it hit him…and boy did it hit him hard.

Body-checked from the side, two arms pinning his one free arm to his side as they closed around him, he was thrown through the air and out a side window as his grappling hook slipped from his finger. The force of Slade's jump carried them over the small alleyway below before landing on the lower roof next door, Slade on top. Robin was winded from the hit, the landing, and the body that fell on top of him. More pain added to the chest crunching trick Bruce had going only and not to mention the flame aroused in him broken hip. He couldn't hold back the cry of agony that followed.

"Thought to trick me?" Slade spat venomously, sitting up to straddle Robin's hips before landing a punch to the side of his face. "How did I know you would…"

"Didn't seem to before." Robin retorted with equal fury.

Slade landed another punch and had to turn Robin's head to look at him after the second hit, stars dancing across his vision. "Why do you think I let him beat you senseless?"

Robin spat the blood in his mouth at Slade's face, a line crossing over Slade's mask. Eerily, it suited the man. "So what? At least he knows what's going on. And what's stopping him from informing the League? When they come looking for you you'll have hell to pay."

Slade backhanded him this time and the stars reappeared before they could fully fade. "I've run into them before, and believe when I say they'll come too late. I'm destroying Gotham and everyone you ever knew."

Anger boiled up in his wounded chest and he began to struggle, despite the pain, to get up. "I'll stop you." He growled.

"No, you'll watch—you'll watch everything I do and you can either stay on the sidelines or join in on the game. Trust me when I say it's easier to destroy something than it is to create it."

"I'm not the destructive type of guy."

Slade gave a small laugh, reaching to his belt for a communicator. "Then you can sit and watch until you're ready to pay." And turned it one. "Blood…"

"_Yes?"_

"Is everything set up?"

"_But of course. Just say the word."_

"Meet me by the docks."

There was static as the other line was cut and Slade returned it to his belt. He watched the confusion etched on Robin's face before giving another small laugh. "While the police have been busy tracking down the supposed Serial Killer, I've been out stealing from Wayne Industries and other supplies of the sort. I bet the break-ins have been on the news but no one thinks they're special—things of that sort seem to happen often in this city."

"So…" Robin frowned. "You're building a weapon of mass destruction?"

"It's exceedingly simply, actually. Just a massive bomb planted beneath the city, lined up with other small bombs spread to other sides of the city as well. When one blows up they all go off and then Gotham will be no more. And you know what—no one but you, the Bat and your annoying team know I'm here. The Justice League won't be able to piece together the mystery."

"Yeah, but you're forgetting something."

"Oh?"

Robin hid the grin.

"This isn't my city…" He waited to see if Slade had any witty come-back before he continued. "It's _his_, and he isn't as lenient as I am."

The sidekick that knocked Slade clear off Robin delivered the message well enough. Robin was still a little upset that there would always be times when he'd need his mentors help, but right now he could deal with that. Right now he had his own team to deal with.

As the Bat charged again at hi ready opponent, Robin slipped out his communicator and turned it on.

"Beast Boy?"

-BB-

It was like hearing a voice from a dead relative.

"DUDE! You're…alive!"

There was a heavy sigh on the other line. _"For the moment, yes. Now—where are you?"_

Beast stared at Starfire, sitting across from him at the hospital. The moment she heard Robin's voice she was in Beast Boy's face like a mouth to a flame. "Um, the hospital. We had to take Raven in but that's only because the people here saw her levitating. The bruises on her head are gone and I think she's almost finished healing, but they won't let us see her 'cause they think she some sort of alien." Beast Boy turned in his seat, trying to get Starfire out of his face. "But I think Starfire looks and acts more like an alien then Raven does. I have no idea why they don't strap her down to a table."

Starfire made a face but said nothing to listen to Robin.

"_I'll get there as soon as I can, but first I have to find Blood."_

"Yeah—he's working with Slade, isn't he?"

"…_You knew?"_

Beast Boy sighed this time. "Yeah. Right around the same time he tried to kill me."

"_Alright, then…do you know where Jaze is? He could help—"_

"If he wasn't possessed by Blood!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "The last time I saw him he was fighting the good fight against the inner demon in his head. Blood must have skipped from Batman to Jaze and—"

"_Done and dealt with, Relish."_

"_Huh?"_

BB paused, staring dumbfounded at the communicator. "Jaze? Is that you?"

"_Who else knows to call you Relish?"_

"_O…K…what do you have for us, Jaze?"_

"_Simple, really—a bomb in the basement if that's what you'd call it. I had a nice look around when I skipped into Blood's body for a little revenge and now he's unconscious somewhere in the subway system. I'll tell you something interesting though—he's got one hell of a bomb packed onto one of the trains. Must have taken Slade a while to build it."_

"_I see…"_

Good. At least Robin had that 'planning' tone to his voice when something finally clicked.

"Hey, Robin, where do we—"

The explosion in that background which almost blew his ear off interrupted his sentence and nearly fried his communicator. A high pitched, unbearable whine followed and even scared Starfire away for the time being. One of the nurses gave BB a scolding look and he nodded sheepishly, crushing the speaker into his hand until he was certain it was silent.

"_What the hell was that?"_ Jaze cursed into his own communicator. It was really Robin's old one, something he took off him the time he was the doctor's prisoner. _"That wasn't you, Beast Boy…was it?"_

"_No. That was me…Just hold on—I'll have to call you back."_

"You'd better." Beast Boy muttered before the line closed.

"_Where are you now, Beast Boy?"_

"Hospital—with Raven and Starfire."

"_Alright. Stay put until I get there."_

He rolled his eyes before he shut off his own communicator. "Like I have a choice." Really, he didn't. The most he knew was that Blood and Slade were working together (for the moment), Jaze just knocked Blood out of the game, there was a bomb riding around merrily in the subway system and Robin, Slade and the Dark Knight where Lord-knows-where in Gotham…if they even were still in Gotham…

Fun…

-A-

Alex: Wow…I actually made this as long as my first couple of chapters…

Victor: Must be because I'm around.

Alex: Must be, eh? Well—I hope that makes up for the lack in updating—and you won't get another chapter until **Shara Shima** updates **'If At First You Don't Succeed'**. See you later, guys.

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

_And,_

_Victor Van Heiring_


	56. Chapter fourteen

Bitter Betrayal

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Alex: Holy Moly—you have no idea how hard it was to finish this chapter. I mean—I got a good long chapter done for No Secrets but every so often this file would scream "file corrupted. Please inform administration at once" and then…nothing. It was so weird…

Victor: I think his computer is haunted. Either that or his story.

Alex: And just when I'm so close to finishing it….

Victor: Oh well—and don't be surprised if it takes even longer to write the next couple of chapters. His computer keeps giving us all this pop-ups for some damn reason…

Alex: (_Clicks down a pop-up…and another…and another…starts muttering…_) Stupid school computers….I'd use the one at my mom's house but we only have one and my older sister has to use that for her university papers. When I get back to my dad's though on the weekend, I'll have all the time in the world to stay up late in my room on my laptop. I'm really sorry about this. I've been having hell since day one…

Victor: Oh—and before we being—I wish (hint hint) that **Shara Shima** would grace us with another chapter for IAFYDS. She has no idea how much that rocks.

Alex: Probably school work…or other work. Look at me—I used to update every second day, so we'll just leave her to her life.

Victor: True…okay then. Sorry, **Sarah**. Just keeping writing…

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Coming together…

Shards of glass and metal debris blew sky-high as the explosion went off, showering down on the alleyways and nearby rooftops. Robin used his cap to cover himself from where he sat on the roof, chancing a glance at the two men battling it out not too far from him. Each paused as well to shield themselves, watching half of the old warehouse go up in flames before returning to the fight.

Honestly. He had never seen a more equal match.

Throwing his cape aside and staring into the heat, he raised a hand to his chest where the ribs were broken, breath labored when he tried to shift his weight. His hips protested heavily against all and any movement, but somehow he managed to drag himself backwards toward an air duct entrance, leaning against it tiredly as the battle went on. Then, still holding his communicator in his free hand, turned it back on.

"Cyborg…?'

-C-

The entire team 'mystically' disappearing was a little too farfetched to believe, despite all the odd situations they had been through. There was a crime rate of zero today—and he double-counted on that one—and not one of his teammates were anywhere in sight. Usually he would count 'that' as a crime, supposing that they were kidnapped or stuck in one of Raven parallel dimensions again…but he had a growing suspicion of where he could find them.

Gotham.

He was hesitant to call the current 'protector' of the accursed city, but he knew something had to be done to find the team. BB storming over would have been catastrophic; Starfire flying over would have been a barrel of laughter, and Raven… Raven would probably keep everything together if she tagged along. That is, of course, until they ran into Robin who would blow his top like a land mine.

"_Cyborg?"_

At first he thought it was the consol, arching an eyebrow as he stared at the blank screen. It must have been broken…

"_Please tell me these things can work long distance…"_

Grinning, he clued in and lifted his wrist to turn on the small screen. What he saw startled him—the site of Robin's pale face and the long red marks covering him here and there where he was struck or cut. Someone was having a hay day while he was stuck in Jump City…

"Yeah…I fixed them so they would…" He said slowly, still in disbelief. "What happened to you? Didn't try to stop a run away train the hard way did ya…?"

"_Not yet, but maybe some day…"_ The Boy Wonder gave a forced laugh, almost wincing behind his own grin. _"Hey, would it be too much to ask if you could get someone from East to monitor Jump City while you come down here. We have a bomb problem and I don't think—"_ There was a short pause as Robin ducked; a sliver of metal ricocheting off the wall where his head was last. _"…I don't think Bats can spare a moment to help me with that…"_

"By the sounds of it, I don't think so either. And I wouldn't let BB or Star touch it either…What of Raven—assuming that they're all there."

"_Yeah, they're here. I don't know all the details, but my bet is Raven's out cold. She took a blow to the head the last time I saw her."_

"What's that supposed to mean? You're not playing the spy-guy game again, are you?"

"_You know it."_

He rolled his eyes. "You need a hobby."

"_Maybe I'll find one…but now isn't the best of times."_

"I hear ya. Just give me a couple of minutes. Make sure no one—or thing—blows up before I get there."

"_Will do."_

Shutting off the com on his arm, he spun around and headed for the garage. There were times like these that you were almost grateful the government allowed a kid to drive recklessly on the high way…

-J-

Finding the hospital was easy, and getting inside was even easier. Some of the older nurses who worked there when he lived in Gotham recognized him and asked what he was doing there, and he brushed it off with the excuse of 'operation'. No one really questioned him or tried to stop him as he strolled down the many white halls down to the east wing.

"You're not going to try and kill me again, are you?"

It was a wonder the kid recognized him in his human form.

He had to laugh at the comment. Patting BB on the head, he peeked around the corner into the full room. Raven had warranted quite an amount of attention as she levitated above the sheets, and both BB and Star were confined to the hallways.

"I believe they want to run tests on friend Raven…" Starfire hovered slightly above the two of them in the hall to see their fallen comrade in the room, face gloomy.

"I would too…" He admitted. "…had I never known about you guys before. They must think she's possessed…"

"They could be right…"

Jaze heard BB's muttering and laughed. "Well then…let's see what we can do before they decide to cut her open…Follow me, Star—BB, would you care to grab Miss Raven when the moment the opportune time arises?"

Curious, she stood before anyone could see her levitating and walked after him down the hall toward a side storage room. It was lock but, with a heavy turn, he broke the doorknob and pushed it opened quietly, slipping inside with her behind. Then he stopped at a shortagebox (I don't know what you call them in America—they have all the switches to turn the power on and off).

"I trust your demonic friend doesn't need life support?"

"I…do not believe so…"

"Good." With a stiff pull the small metal door over it opened and he stared at the switches. "Can you surge some of your energy through this…"

She nodded, placing a finger on the switch…but hesitated. "Should we not simply 'throw' the switch?"

"They can turn it back on if we do."

"Oh…" Smiling, she nodded. "Okay—"

There were shouts of surprise and dismay from down the hall when she electrocuted the switchboard. Smiling mischievously, a small grin plastered on her face, she followed Jaze from the storage room. There was the sound of a lion roaring and, pressing against the wall, the two of them nearly avoided being trampled by the crowd of doctors and nurses running from the room.

…He sure hoped this wasn't going on the news tonight.

Watching as one lady almost broke her neck falling as she dashed for the stairwell door, Jaze straightened his white coat and returned to the room. BB was there—lion gone—sitting on the foot of Raven's bed, swinging his legs back and forth idly.

"You didn't eat anyone, I hope."

"_Ew_—I'm a vegetarian."

"Just asking…" He pushed BB off the bed, smiling inwardly as the boy muttered and fell to his back, and grabbed the bed sheets at the base of the bed. Pushing the levitating girl down gently to lie on her back, he reached over for the belt used in the ambulance. Doing the ones up over her waist, knees and shoulders, he threw the quilt up to her neck and undid the bed breaks.

"We're checking Miss Raven out, boys and girls. Pass me a wet towel Starfire."

Curious, she turned toward the small sink in the corner of the room and grabbed a towel. Soaking it in water, she handed it back to Jaze and watched as he placed it over her forehead to hide her hair and the most of her face.

"Hey…she looks sick…" BB poked one of her covered arms, hand slapped away by Jaze.

"Good—next stop, the docks."

"Why there?"

"Slade called Blood while I was still in him—he's meeting him at the docks."

BB nodded, muttering something under his breath about villains and docks, before helping Jaze reel the small bed out into the hall. Starfire stared at Raven nervously, but didn't voice her worries.

What were they going to do with Raven for now?

-S-

The man was good at what he did, but a mere mortal was no match for a metahuman, especially as weakened as he was. The great knight of hell-on-earth was growing old. He couldn't even beat his old sidekick…

Blocking the punch, he delivered one of his own and watched as the hero stumbled back before advancing again. Sending the man flying a second later with a back round-house kick, he spared a glance at Robin who, still bleeding and wincing in pain, was as good as left for dead where he leaned against the air duct. Busted ribs meant no dodging, broken hips meant no walking (or standing for that matter), and, by the looks of things, his elbow didn't look like it was up for delivering a punch. All in all, everything equaled up to defeat.

"What? You're not going to lend him a hand?" Slade mocked, watching the dark knight stand in the corner of his eye. "First you want to kill him and then you want to help him. Whose side exactly _are_ you on?"

"_Mine_."

Slade smiled behind his mask, turning his head to stare directly at his opponent. "What a possessive way to say it."

Both mentor and student frowned in the same fashion, glaring daggers at him—like that would do them any good.

Turning fully to face the man, he placed his hands behind his back and eyed his enemy. He's was as good as dead. Batman couldn't hide his fatigue forever and even now it was shining through the mask. The victor was Slade.

"Do you know why the boy left you in the first place?" He waited for an answer—or a witty comeback at least—but the man said nothing. Robin, still glaring, fell into the same silence as his old mentor. "The same reason he left me."

"How could you even compare?" The Bat growled. "He joined me out of his own free will—from what I heard, you blackmailed him."

"But was he really _joining_ you, or was he just _using_ you?"

Robin spoke up then, outraged at the accusation. "I _joined _him to help the people and avenge the death of my parents—"

"My point, exactly." Slade continued. "You joined him to learn how to fight, to fill the gap in your life. You're parents died and all you wanted was revenge—and _don't_ tell me I'm wrong. You're a vengeful person, Robin. Admit it. If it hadn't been for their death, you'd still be an acrobat. Why would you train to become a hero then?"

Mouth working, the Boy Wonder struggled to find words for his argument…

"Every villain you take down is just a taste of satisfaction to ease your fury. And then, when you think about it, that's the same case for the Batman. This was never about the people. It was about your wrath. You hate the world—you just don't want to look like the bad guy."

"Then why do we bother to save them?" Robin asked, standing somehow, but leaning heavily against the air duct. "Why do we put our life on the line to stop people like you?"

"The fact is—you _haven't_ stopped anyone. They always come back, don't they…like a nightmare?..."

"No one deserves to die." The Dark Knight said, straightening as well.

"Well…now that we've butchered that argument…" Slade looked from one hero to the other, tilting his head to one side in thought. "Why did you leave each other?"

He already knew that story; it was just made everything harder for his two opponents. Robin was shot and his mentor didn't want him to die should something like that happen again. Robin didn't want to give up fighting, the Bat wouldn't hear of it, and they left on bad terms.

"He pushed you beyond your limits, showed you how to fight—how to release your anger in a more _justified_ fashion as a hero. Why would you want to disobey him? Why would you leave?"

The glare grew, if such was possible, darker. Slade could almost feel the burn of the boy's stare. His mentor, on the other hand, was much calmer. The Bat knew not to force an answer…

"He wanted to stop you? He gave you a solution and then he wanted to destroy it. You love to fight—I know you do. Why, then, did you leave me when I had no intentions of holding you back?"

"One word—morals. You might be lacking, but I grew up with them. A man isn't a man unless he does all he can to make the world a better place."

"And leaving the world to people like _him_"—Slade shifted his eye quickly to Bruce—"is going to make it better? It's people like _him_ that destroy this world. Honestly, he's not that much different from you or I. Who can say he won't crack one day?"

"Does that matter?" Robin grinned. "If he does change side, he knows what he's up against. As long as he's on my side, I could really care less who he resembles."

Shaking his head, Slade reached to his belt and extended his bo-staff. Now that the adrenaline was flowing again, maybe the next match would be more interesting.

"Shall we continue?" He asked the Dark Knight. "I intend to kill you before this night is through."

"I can't make any promises…" His opponent returned to a fighting stance. "…But you can try…"

-A-

**Shara Shima**, thanks for your update. I tried reviewing but it won't work…But anyway—your chapter was great. You're 'twist' has me confused. Why did Slade let him go for now…is there going to be a one on one between Nightwing and Robin? Jeez…you really have me hooked…

Anyhow—I made this slightly longer than I usually do because—hey—I actually had time. Go figure. But now I'm going to lie down because my throat, head and stomach are killing me. Have a great week, guys, and I hope to see more updates from all of you.

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	57. Special Author's Note: PLEASE READ!

**Special Author's Note**

**Alexnandru Van Gordon**

I have the next chapter in process for "Not Again", but there's a few things I have to tell you that just can't wait until I update.

1) For those of your who couldn't review my last chapter—and I thank you for sending in word to me about that—it was because I had one other author' note that wouldn't delete. One day it just decided to delete itself and my last chapter therefore took the place value of the last one: AKA: it said you couldn't review it because you already had. Don't worry about that. I assure you it won't ever happen again

**2)** **(Important)** for those of you who know about **Dlsky** and her new challenge, I'm writing for that. If I'm not busy completing Not Again and Blast, I will be gone working on the challenge story—so I suggest you read all the stories that come from the other contestants. There's going to be some very popular and fantastic writers working on that one and I hope you like what they have to offer. The challenge itself is to write about Slade…doing something good, or being good. I'm keeping Slade **in character**, and I hope you find my plot as funny as Victor makes it out to be. I believe I'm going to be naming it "Have a Heart", and if I find out the titles anyone else has for their story, I will ask to inform you. So go on—thank Dlsky for opening up such an awesome opportunity for all you name writers out there…I believe it begins on the eighth of October…I'll have to double check.

Have fun, and good luck to anyone else writing.

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	58. Chapter fifteen: A matter of time

Bitter Betrayal

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Alex: Wow…for some reason I reread the author's note I put up in the last chapter (which I actually didn't remember writing…) and for some reason I think I come off sounding like a jerk.

Victor: If it makes you feel better, I think you sounded like a jerk too. :)

Alex: …err…Thank you…I guess…O.o?

Victor: And on behalf of your readers, I'm going to call you a jerk again for not updating any of your original stories in…what…two months? Maybe even _three_?

Alex: -.-…definitely not three, but yes…I suppose I am a jerk for—

Victor: And for ignoring other people's updates, and only reviewing a select few?

Alex: Yes. But I—

Victor: AND for making your updates so damn short and crappy?

Alex:…Are you finished yet, or do I have to spare another five or so minutes for your satisfaction? -.-….

Victor: Um…I'll finish bashing you at the end of the chapter.

Alex: Oh, yay…

Victor: Yes, I love you too, cus'.

Alex: Anyway, I'm sure there're a couple of you out there who want to bash me too, and I only ask that you utterly destroy me in one single review. I don't want to see you clicking the chapters you didn't leave a review for in the past just to kill me over and over and over again… I have a delicate ego…

Victor: Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!

Alex: Ahem…yes…kill me…But I've been working my life away at school. Then Victor utterly (and almost entirely) destroyed my USB device. First it had some virus or whatever (my dad knows the details) so nothing I saved on the second half of the USB device would work (basically anything starting from the letter M and up…). The only thing I had time for was the challenge story because I really didn't want to get disqualified this far in…I know. I'm a horrible person. I'm really sorry, and if anyone here continues to read anything I write after what I've done than I have to thank you a million times over.

Victor: Enough! On with the story!

Alex: Yes…on with what's left…

DICLAIMER: We all know the drill by now. None of us really have anything besides our name and our conscience. Even our minds have been manipulated from day one by somebody else…

CHAPTER FIVE: A matter of time

"So…there's a bomb on the subway and another one at the docks…" Beast Boy scratched his head. "Slade's planning to destroy the entire city."

"I don't think he'd stop short of leveling it but—" Jaze, who was now carrying Raven in his arms, lifted her higher and continued down the alleyway. They left the hospital in out a ruckus and were quite lucky to leave without security on their tail. Well…they were only a block away from the hospital. Someone could still show up… "Sorry, almost dropped her. What was I saying?"

Beast Boy shook his head. "Leveling city? Two bombs?"

"Did I say two? I meant to say one."

"What—but Blood said—"

"Yes." Jaze rolled his eyes. "I'm sure Blood said a few things when he possessed me. But although he intended to kill you, I'm sure he didn't ignore the fact that there was a chance of you escaping. I say there's only one massive bomb in Slade's plan, and it should be at the docks."

"Why the docks? Slade's obsessed with that place."

Jaze merely laughed. "Even if that's a fact, I remember seeing crates when I was in Blood's body. Slade could have stolen most of his supplies, but I believed he's been shipping some things over from Jump City. Whatever he needs should be coming tonight."

"On a boat?"

Jaze nearly stumbled. "What else? A purple elephant? It could be here already, but the only thing I think Slade would use is a _boat_."

Starfire, who was walking behind them, could hardly suppress a trademark giggled.

Oh…now he was feeling stupid again. "But what about Raven? We can't carry her into danger, and there's no way she's getting up to fight again…"

"Which is why you're going to stay a good distance away from the battle field. You're going to watch her while the red-head and I fight off Slade's goons."

Starfire giggled again. "The _goons_—you make me laugh."

Both men paused.

Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "What about the bomb? You know how to deactivate it?"

"…"

"What!"

The doctor shrugged. "Blood doesn't know all the plans on the bomb so I got nothing out of his head when I was in it, and I can't read a robot's mind—because it doesn't have one. I'm guessing only Slade knows."

"And Cyborg." Starfire chimed in.

It was amazing how cheerful she could be at the oddest of times.

Beast Boy didn't need to be told twice. Flipping out his communicator, he paused to turn it one. Then, hoping the thing worked long distance, he called up whoever he could.

'_Hello?'_

"_Hello"_

He got two people. The first sounded like Robin and the other sounded like Cyborg.

"Cyborg, we need you here in Gotham. There's this huge bomb at the docks and—"

"_Way ahead of you, bro. But thanks on the tip of where it should be. Do you know that for a fa—"_

There was noise on the other end, which sounded more like Robin getting winded than anything else, and Cyborg waited until he got the all-clear from their leader.

'_Sorry…I've got to go…'_

Yep. Winded.

"_See you around, Boy Wonder."_

'_Yeah…later…'_

_Click._

"_Anyway, how'd you find out about that bomb?"_

"Jaze told me."

"_What! You're telling me even the criminals went to Gotham without me? What's wrong with this picture? Why was I the only one left out of this little happy-sun-shine outing of yours…"_

Jaze smiled. "We're inviting you to stop a bomb."

"_Yeah. Yeah…I'm only invited when I'm need…Whatever. I'm almost at Gotham, so I'll meet you at the docks. Y'all have a little more fun without me—and BB, try not to get your butt whipped."_

Stupid half-witted tin can…

"Yeah…sure…no sweat…"

"_Fine, catch you later. Oh—and don't touch the bomb until I'm there. Starfire's allergic to them, BB would probably set it off and…well, I don't know Jaze well enough to trust him."_

Jaze nodded. "Fair enough."

"_Don't talk about fair to me…Some party this'll turn out to be…"_

_Click._

-R-

_Oomph!_

Strong as ever, Slade still knew how to pack a punch. All he had to do was bend down low enough to Robin's height and catch him dead-center of the diaphragm. Lifted off his feet, Robin could do nothing but take the full force of the punch and watch the tiny little dots of light peck away at the black screen suddenly blocking his vision. He didn't even have the strength left in his diaphragm to gasp for air. It felt like something else was broken…

Slade let him fall off his fist to the ground idly, landing on his knees and one hand, the other pressed against his stomach where he took the hit. Bruce was still climbing the other side of the building, nearly falling to his death when Slade knocked him off with one clean side-kick. If not for his grappling hook…well, the outcome would have been messy. Needless to say, Slade had somehow gained the upper-hand again. It was almost funny actually. The first image that came to mind when he thought of that was the energizer bunny.

But, despite all efforts, Robin was as good as dead. The damage already done to his body was catastrophic. If he took anymore his chest would collapse in on him and he'd suffocate to death. There was no _running_. Not only was it impossible for him in his current state, but he was too far in to give up now—even _if_ death was the penalty. But he doubted that. Slade was too cruel to just let him die…

"You never learn…do you?"

No…not the speeches. He'd sooner have Plasmus swallow him whole than have to listen to another lecture. Not only were they demeaning and annoying, but Slade had the habit of hitting the nail on the head. He was dreadfully moraless in what he said, but…there were times when he was right.

_Please…just let me fall unconscious._

He could have sworn Slade could read his mind when the man bent down on one knee to grab him by the hair on the back of his head. Then, standing, he pulled Robin back up to his feet and titled his head back so that he was forced to see him.

"Where's your mentor now?" Slade hissed. Then he gave Robin a shake, jerky the hair he still grasped tightly in one fist. Robin bit back a cry of agony and just continued to stare. "You should have known your little plan wouldn't work. All you had to do was _kill_ him. Then we could have left. But no…you still seem to think you can outsmart me."

He was shaken again before tossed backwards. Robin hit the ground hard but forced himself to sit up sideways on his left hip, trying his best to stand. He had to stand. He had to find a way to win. There was no room for mistake or error. There was no way he could give up through all the hell he'd been through, not after all the effort he put in to denying Slade. The man could_ not_ win—that's what all the small print came down to.

"You foolish boy…there is no hope of victory for you. Like you, I don't give up, and I don't change my plans simply because some teenaged brat doesn't want to be a bad guy." Slade came forward again, walking around to face Robin before delivering a kick to his stomach. This one slid him against the hard concrete, tearing the flesh on his arms. "All men are inherently evil, Robin. What makes you think you're special?"

Robin scowled, forcing himself to take a deep breath. "And everyone's good…at least once…You…can't deny that either…"

Slade paused at the notion…but shrugged, placing his hands behind his back as he always did. Then he advanced again. "Once upon a time…doesn't always end as Happily Ever After. Disney exaggerates their movies."

…True, but…_whatever_.

He tried to sit up again.

"Don't bother getting up." Slade said. "I don't suppose you would walk even if you wanted to."

Reaching Robin, he leaned down and grabbed him by his upper arm, but then his right wrist began to beep, flashing red. Slade paused at the sight of it before it disappeared and turned to face his opponent once more.

"Time for the fireworks. It looks like we'll be leaving anyway."

"_Not if I have anything to say about it."_

The lecture was ended—thank God—by a swift kick from Bruce. Robin hadn't noticed him until he came out of the corner of his eye, seemingly from within the shadows, and knocked Slade sideways half across the roof. Luckily, he didn't take Robin with him…

"Nice hit." Robin murmured.

"We're leaving."

…That was a typical 'Batman' answer. First, it had nothing to do with the subject of the sentence before it, and second, it was more of a command than a suggestion. Usually Robin couldn't stand getting answers like that from his old mentor—before he became independent—but now he was more than grateful for having the man around. Without him, a lot of things wouldn't have been possible.

In other words, he agreed entirely.

"What's your hurry?" Slade, recollecting himself, cracked his neck out and straightened it before stepping forward. "You're not afraid, are you?"

Bruce didn't leave an opening for another lecture, choosing to attack before the man could act first. Slade dodged and deflected what attacks he could and shot in a couple of punches. But it wasn't until Bruce slipped on a broken piece of glass (from a window (during the explosion of the building next door) that Slade gained the upper-hand again. Close enough to Robin that he was in danger of getting hit, Slade delivered a dangerous blow to Bruce's head. Just as Robin was able to stand, his mentor slammed into him and they came crashing down together again. The problem was, there was an old heater vent behind them, tall as Bruce and made of concrete on two sides. Robin's head collided with this.

And then there was darkness…

-B-

He could barely see a thing after Slade caught him off-guard. Head spinning, the only thing he was aware of was caking up into Robin before falling to the ground. His vision was cut while he struggled to remain conscious, but as a foot connected with his gut, he doubted that would be possible for long.

Then his vision returned.

Slade was knelling next to him, giving him a good look-over before shaking his head in disappointment. "Perhaps I'll kill you another day—_if _you survive Gotham's demise. In the meantime…" Slade reached over for something else and Bruce suddenly realized it was Robin's hand. Standing, Slade held the child up like a rag doll. "I'll be keeping this…"

"No…" He gasped, but only his lips formed the words. He was too exhausted attempt anything else...

No…not his son…

Slade said nothing more. He tossed Robin's limp form over his shoulder and turned away, not giving the Dark Knight a second glance as his world suddenly blacked-out…

-S-

Disappointing…He expected a battle longer and harder from such a well-known adversary, but every dog has his day. Besides, his apprentice weakened him and he allowed his emotions to get in the way of his train of thought. The man was too worried about his old student to fight efficiently.

It was a pity, almost, to think that Slade wouldn't fight him again. Unless he suddenly stood up and fled from Gotham before Slade blew it to kingdom-come, there was no possible way he would survive. But then there were the rest of the Titans…Certainly they would interfere sooner or later, as was their habit. And how long would that last? Their leader could beat any single one of them alone—and with him out of the picture for now, what hope did they stand against Slade? They war was as good as one.

Then there was the matter of Blood…The man had to go before something slipped up. Slade didn't trust his partners—that's why he didn't have any, and Blood was hard to deal with. The man was another head villain with an agenda of his own and an attitude that kept him from taking simple orders from another person. All Slade really needed him for was keeping Bruce Wayne (AKA: Batman) in check, but now that that was done…

He'd find a way to get rid of him sooner or later. It was only a matter of time before Blood left his back unguarded and mistake Slade as someone he could trust.

It would be the worst mistake of his life.

But he could leave his side-plans for now. Right now he had Gotham to destroy before he returned to Jump City to finish it off. That Titans had to be done in before that and he had to find out what happened to Jaze…The man could cause a whole different definition of trouble if he could hide away long enough.

Just a matter of time…just a matter of time…

-A-

Alex: There…an update…I actually made an update…And now my back really hurts…

Victor: Yeah! More!

Alex: Later…I'm tired.

Victor: Should we let him sleep?

Alex:…I'm going to bed…

_Until Again_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon,_

_And_

_Victor Van Heiring_


	59. Chapter sixteen: The set up

Bitter Betrayal

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Author note: Man…my mouth is killing me. I just went to the doctor and got two teeth pulled—I have to get another two pulled out next week and then the fun really begins… By the way—thanks for kicking my sorry butt back into action. I can't saw that I'll be great with updating any time soon, but I'm working towards it.

_Story Summary thus far_: Raven's out cold with BB watching over her; Jaze and Starfire are on their way to the docks; Robin pretended to join Slade just to put on an act with the Bat, but his plan backfired and Slade stepped into the game. Slade ended up fighting the Bat and won—taking Robin away as a constellation prize. Here we go…

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything but my name…

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: The set up

The docks were "loaded". Or…at least that was the word Jaze would use to describe it. At first glance you wouldn't see anything unusual, but once you hit dock seven you could see a few dark figures unloading a ship that arrived only moments ago. They were efficient—that's how you could tell they were robots. How often do you see a person carrying a crate on their own?

Simple—you don't.

They stood atop the storage house overlooking dock number seven. The robots didn't see them. It was too dark and besides, they had only two rules to follow: get the job with the explosives done, and shoot anyone that tries to stop them. So far Jaze and Starfire fell into neither of the two categories and planned to stay that way until Cyborg arrived. Considering the way he drove, that wouldn't be too long.

"How much longer need we wait?" Starfire whispered, levitating just high enough to lean over his right shoulder.

Jaze shrugged. "That all depends on your cybernetic friend. If he didn't hit any heavy traffic, it shouldn't take him much longer to get here."

"And if they were to set off the bomb?"

"They won't until Slade gets here—and he's off working with Gotham's Knight and his ex-sidekick."

"Slade's here."

Jaze paused…."What did you say?"

Starfire, who had moved a little higher, pointed down out of his view at the entrance of the storehouse. Jaze moved closer to the edge and peeked down at the view.

Speak of the devil…and he had little Boy Wonder too.

"This can't be good." He muttered. If this wasn't a kick in the head, he had no idea what was. If the Bat was dead…Jaze shook his head. No—Slade was arrogant. He wouldn't kill Bruce right off the bat. He'd want the Dark Knight to die with his city, see the destruction unfold as it happened before his very eyes.

Digging into his trench-coat pocket for Robin's old communicator, Jaze flipped the switched and called Cyborg.

"Hey, bot-boy—where are you?"

There was a moment of static on the other end before Cyborg picked up. _"I'm coming, I'm coming—keep your hat on, will ya?"_

"I'd like to, but Slade is here and you're going to miss the fireworks."

"_What!—Man, I just entered the city. Give me ten minutes to get to the docks."_

Jaze sighed, watching as Slade handed the limp form of the former glorious Boy Wonder to one of his commandoes. The robot carried the boy over to a stack of crates and rested him down on the ground behind them. Most of the crates were being trucked over to separate parts of the city to ensure the whole of Gotham was destroyed in the chain-reaction. Some of the cargo was fake, just to get the ship past security in Jump City.

The explosives were no great danger unless someone set them on fire or threw them over a cliff. They could be gathered up later on, but now…

"I have to find the detonator anyway. Ten minutes it is—but no more."

"_Make that eight—I'm booking it."_

Jaze turned the communicator off and slipped it back into his pocket. Then he turned to Starfire and smiled behind his wrappings. "Well, my dear…how good are you at finding things?"

Starfire squirmed nervously.

-S-

Everything seemed to be going according to plan…And that's why he prepared for the worst. In his experience, nothing went exactly as it should. You could do everything you possibly could within your power to ensure the success of _anything_, but it could still turn out for the worst.

Did he believe his opponents were out for the count? Batman; quite likely. Robin; maybe. The witch-girl; definitely; the others…

That's why he wasn't surprised to see Jaze had dropped by to pay him a visit. Literally.

"Long time, no see." Jaze beamed; standing and dusting himself off after a graceful landing. "Did you miss me?"

"Yes, but I don't think I will this time." Slade greeted. Then he gestured behind Jaze with one hand. "And I don't think _he_ will either."

Jaze pivoted on one foot and narrowly missed the crate. Blood, although shaken from the mental attack, was as good as new with fury to boot. Jaze was a dead man if he thought he could stop Slade on his own. Which reminded him…

Slade turned to look at Robin. He half expected to see the alien girl or the little green beast but neither was present—the Big Bad Bat included.

"I'm disappointed." Slade mused as he returned his attention to his guest. "I didn't think you would come alone."

"Surprise, surprise." Jaze muttered, ducking yet another crate. This one came closer to his head and crashed to the ground behind him. A spray of small splinters hit his back but fell away off the thick material of his coat. "Neither did I, but you took care of that."

Slade paused. "You're a horrible liar. Where are the others?"

"No idea. Your guess is as good as mine."

His first guess would have been the bomb…Actually, that was his only guess aside from saving Robin, but the Boy Wonder was still alone.

"Go inside and check the detonator." Slade instructed the nearest robot. It, and five other of his creations, ran toward the entrance and disappeared inside. If anything was wrong, they'd let him know.

"Too bad you don't trust me." Jaze said just before his fist connected with Blood's chin. They were closer to each other now, trying to beat each one another to death. "It would make life a whole lot easier for the both of us."

"I'm only concerned with myself." Slade murmured, stalking closer to the two. "And I think I've had enough of your sarcasm for one life-time. Blood."

The older man smiled as he delivered a side-kick to Jaze's waist. It knocked him directly into Slade who didn't hesitate a second to wrap one arm around his throat. Pulling the doctor closer, he began to strangle him from behind.

"You should have stayed on the other side of the war." Slade whispered in his ear. "You would have been a lot safer…"

-St-

Finding detonators was her specialty. Too bad she wasn't looking for one.

Soaring high above the city skyscrapers, Starfire kept her eyes open for signs of fire. Jaze mentioned earlier to her that he remembered hearing an explosion in the background the last time he chatted with Robin. Assuming that it led to mass destruction, finding it from the air shouldn't be that hard.

And it wasn't.

Fire trucks were assembled near a solitary part of time, trying their best to put out a burning warehouse. Why she was there, Starfire didn't know. The fighters of fire were doing a great job on their own and they—

Then she spotted something interesting.

Swooping down toward a nearby building, she silently crept closer to a leap of black…_mass_. She couldn't tell what it was in the dark, but it looked like—

_It groaned_!

Starfire leapt back and nearly screamed. But it didn't attack. It moved; a hand produced from the bottom of the material. Then…it stood up.

"You are the Man of Bats, are you not?" She whispered, half hoping he wouldn't hear her. "Robin's friend?"

"…Robin?" The man moaned. He lifted a hand to his head before looking up at her. "Yes…Where is he?"

"A most foul and uncaring man has taken him to the docks. I believe my friend Jaze intended for me to retrieve you in hopes of saving him."

The man didn't say anything. It was hard to tell what he was thinking too—part of his face was covered by his mask and his mouth was hidden beneath a stoic expression. He seemed to be—as Cyborg once put it—'_second guessing_' himself.

"Um…sir?"

"Show me the way." He replied; any trace of doubt forgotten. "And I believe this 'most foul' man would be Slade."

She smiled. Other-city heroes were so pleasant sometimes.

-A-

Author: I believe the next chapter is the last one, so I'm going to work on making it three times as long as this one. The purpose of this chapter was to refresh your memory (seeing as I haven't updated in ages).

Thank you for being loyal.

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	60. Revision: Author's Note

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey you guys—I'm Editing the story! The end chapter will be up soon, but please read the note I wrote in chapter one for details.

Apparently the story just pop up as "updated" if you merely replace chapters. I think you might have to hunt down my story if you want to read it.

Chapters that have "(revised)" in the title have been…well…"revised". I don't expect reviews so read the story if you feel up to it :)

_-Until Again_

_-Alexnandru Van Gordon_


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